Stress and food choices: Examining gender differences and the time horizon framing effect

The number of people facing daily stress is on the rise in the United States. Further, there is increasing evidence of stress induced obesity and other food-related health risks. This study tested the effects of self-reported stress on choosing indulgent and healthy food options in the context of menu promotions at restaurants. The study proposed that time horizon message framing (expansive vs. limited) on restaurant menus influences the effectiveness of advertising messages aimed at preventing unhealthy food choices and promoting healthy choices. Further, this study examined gender differences in stress induced eating. The current findings shed new light on time horizon message framing, which encourages stressed consumers to make healthy choices. The results showed that food choices can be altered using time horizon messages. That is, stressed individuals tend to choose healthier options when the message is framed in terms of expansive time and more indulgent food than when the message is focused on a limited time frame. Restaurant managers are advised to establish creative marketing strategies to spur interest in healthy menu items and emphasize the benefits of healthy food items.     

Understanding customers’ healthy food choices at casual dining restaurants: Using the Value–Attitude–Behavior model

This study examined how individual health values influence interest in healthy foods, positive outcome expectations, hedonic expectations, and behavior intentions. A total of 1188 valid questionnaires were collected from customers who had consumed healthy menu items at casual dining restaurants. The results indicated that health value was the key element that inspired customer interest in healthy eating and aroused hedonic and positive outcome expectations, which in turn enhanced intentions to purchase healthy food items. Restaurant managers are advised to establish creative marketing strategies to motivate customer interest in healthy menu items and emphasize benefits of their healthy food items. Future studies can extend the scope of research by examining differences in geographical areas or demographic profiles.     

饭店业员工过度劳动的实证分析与管理

近年来,过度劳动问题已严重影响到人们的工作生活和健康。文章以山东省饭店业为例,对员工的过度劳动状况进行调查。基于因子分析结果,从员工的生理表现、工作状态、行为反应3个维度14项指标进行过度劳动的方差分析。结果表明,饭店员工的过劳程度总体呈现中等偏上的水平,其中,性别、年龄、职位层级不同,过度劳动的生理表现差异性显著;受教育程度、工作年限、职位层级、饭店星级的不同,过度劳动的工作状态差异性显著;性别和受教育程度的不同,过度劳动的行为反应差异性显著。在分析结论的基础上,提出过度劳动两大系统6个层面的有效管理系统。     

Well on the way: An exploratory study on occupational health in hospitality

This study conducted a comprehensive review of work conditions and health risks/problems for various hospitality workers and summarized the various health and wellness promotion programs available in the workplace with the aim of identifying the key elements of successful employee wellness programs. In this review, physical health problems, such as musculoskeletal disorders, lung diseases, and dermatologic diseases, as well as mental health problems that are common among hospitality employees were discussed. In addition, different types of wellness programs that may help employees to overcome these health problems were included. In the next stage, interviews with hotel staff holding multiple positions were conducted to identify the most significant health challenges and assess their preference for various types of wellness initiatives. Using MAXQDA Pro, health-related categories and themes were extracted from the interviews. Participants believed that the lack of time, physical challenges and stress are the top three wellness challenges in the hospitality industry. In order to tackle the challenges, they stated that hospitality businesses should provide various wellness initiatives including healthy eating and weight management, smoking cessation, stress management, exercise programs, and fitbits or other wellness tracker devices.     

Inversionary and Liminoidal Consumption: Gluttony on Holidays and Obesity

This study aims to explore gluttony as a liminoidal and inversionary form of behavior on all-inclusive holidays and its possible relationship with obesity. The study particularly looks at tourists’ attitudes toward food and drinks on all-inclusive holidays, that is, whether they consume food and drinks excessively on holidays; and if they do, whether their excessive eating and drinking habits are continued after their all-inclusive holidays. The findings suggest that people who go on all-inclusive holidays consume more food and drinks (both in terms quantity and variety) and a significant proportion of them, though to a varying extent, continue their excessive consumption habits after their holidays.     

Using Local Cuisines when Promoting Small Caribbean Island Destinations

This study compares how four Caribbean small islands—Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Martinique—use their authentic cuisines to promote their destinations. Brochures, catalogs, websites, and other promotional materials for each destination were content analyzed. Although all four destinations seem to use their authentic cuisines for tourism promotion, key differences exist among these islands in their marketing and promotional strategies. Martinique appears to use its local cuisine most aggressively, using a combination of locally prepared foods, cocktails, rum, fruits, and vegetables to visually portray this aspect of the country's heritage. Jamaica, in contrast, uses mainly fruit and vegetable imagery. The study findings suggest a need for these four Caribbean island destinations to develop expertise in culinary tourism, followed by promotion through brochures, catalogs, websites, and other marketing materials.     

Some sceptical comments on the relationship between social support and well‐being

There appears to be widespread acceptance that there is a general positive correlation between ‘social support’ and well‐being. Individuals' health may remain better and their recovery from certain diseases more likely when potential, if not actual, social support is available. This paper addresses two specific methodological problems. Firstly, the definition of ‘social support’ varies very widely in the literature. Furthermore, whilst other variables may be rigorously controlled, the ‘social support’ variable may still be a proxy for other factors. The lack of international agreement on a common meaning for social support vitiates comparative analysis. Secondly, in an attempt to explain why some societies are ‘healthier’ than others, Wilkinson points to an association between more egalitarian societies, ‘better’ micro‐social relationships and better health. This attempt to explain societal differences in terms of micro‐social processes is problematic. First, individuals with good social support may still be healthier in ‘unhealthy’ societies than those without such support in ‘healthy’ societies. Extrapolation of individual outcomes may not be the best way to explain societal differences. Secondly, it is not demonstrated that specific micro‐social processes either cause or are caused by the institutional, organizational and political contexts, which variously characterize more healthy or less healthy societies amongst the most developed nations.     

Nutrition Labeling for Restaurant Menu Items: College Students’ Preferences for Nutrition Information and Its Influence on Purchase Intention

During the college years, young adults develop eating habits and concerns that follow them throughout their lives. Understanding college students’ menu selections in dining-out situations can provide insight into their eating habits. This study aimed to investigate college students’ preferences for types of nutrition information (such as macronutrients and total calories, specific nutrients, and health claims) on restaurant menus, and the impact of nutrition information on purchase intention. The presence of caloric and macronutrient information on restaurant menus was found to significantly affect purchase intention. The findings provide a foundation for future hospitality studies investigating dining-out menus as a persuasive tool for better health, and suggest strategies for industry professionals.     

The Relationship Between Demographic Characteristics and Socialization Outcomes Among New Employees in Hong Kong Hotels

Abstract

High turnover among new hotel employees has become a major concern for Hong Kong hotel managers. Previous studies have shown that the demographic characteristics of employees are related to their subsequent behavior and attitude. However, there is little vigorous discussion on new employees in particular. This study examines the relationship between the demographic characteristics of new employees and their socialization outcomes in the Hong Kong hotel industry. Its findings show that there are significant differences between the effects of certain demographic characteristics on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Some recommendations for maintaining new employees' productivity and minimizing turnover intentions are made for hotel managers' consideration.     

When dessert comes close: The effects of anticipating indulgent consumption and dietary restraint on healthy food preference at restaurants

When dining in restaurants, diners often anticipate indulgent consumption, such as enjoying a dessert. This study examined the effects of anticipating such indulgence on preferences for healthy food among restrained and unrestrained eaters. Two experiments revealed that anticipating indulgent consumption reduced restrained eaters’ preference for the immediate consumption of healthy food. Conversely, unrestrained eaters’ expectation of indulgent consumption increased or did not change their preference for a healthy option. The interactive effect of indulgence anticipation and dietary restraint on healthy food preference held regardless of availability of nutrition information. The findings suggest that, despite increasing concern for healthy eating, restrained consumers ironically show a preference for unhealthy food options when anticipating a dessert consumption opportunity. The present study provides theoretical implications for consumption anticipation, sequential consumption, and dietary restraint, and practical implications for restaurateurs as well as for consumers, health professionals, and policymakers regarding healthy eating.     

Retention Factors of Tipped Hourly Employees in the Casual Dining Restaurant Segment: Exploratory Research in Central Florida

ABSTRACT

Hourly employee retention has been a major area of concern for casual dining restaurant operators. The current exploratory research employed a self-administered questionnaire asking 96 tipped casual dining restaurant hourly employees from 12 different restaurants in the Central Florida region of the United States to rate the importance of 21 employment characteristics of their job and their actual experience with these employment characteristics. The findings revealed that the most important employment characteristics were: flexible working hours, consistent working hours, and nice people to work with. These findings differed from a similar previous study done in 2004 with quick service restaurant employees who rated nice people to work with, humane approach to employees, and hourly wages as the most important employment characteristics. The current study showed statistically significant differences between the level of importance and actual experience attached to 18 of the 21 employment characteristics, which could explain some potential areas of misperception between hourly employees and managers in the industry. These variations can consequently help to explain the high turnover and low retention of employees in the tipped positions in the casual dining restaurant industry. Implications for management are discussed.     

Hotel Employees' Perception of Green Practices

This study examined how hotel employees perceive green practices. Data was collected from 220 employees working in eight green certified hotels in Orlando, Florida. Study results from an importance–performance analysis revealed that the surveyed employees rated their hotels' performance in green practices lower than the importance levels. A positive correlation was found between the employees' organizational commitment and their perception on the company's green practices. The relationship between the respondents' key demographic characteristics and their perception of green practices was also investigated. Lastly, implications for hotels are discussed to assist the companies to promote and train green practices among their employees.     

A preliminary study of chefs’ attitudes and knowledge of healthy eating in Edinburgh's restaurants

This article details the findings of a preliminary study carried out in Edinburgh restaurants producing representations of chefs’ attitudes to healthy eating. Despite a lack of awareness of government targets and promotions aimed at the Hospitality industry, chefs were positive towards healthy eating and believe that they were already practising it. They perceive their role as being multi-faceted from deferential service provider to educator and artist relying mainly upon their own inspiration when creating menus. Tension between commercial goals and moral principles was evident by the fact that customers were perceived as the main barrier and equally the main reason to offer healthy options on the menu.     

Employee perceptions of well-being and organizational wellness offerings: A study of line-level employees in select-service hotels

ABSTRACT

This research assessed line-level employee perceptions of their own well-being and their awareness of wellness benefits offered by their organizations. Completed questionnaires were collected from 187 employees of select-service hotels in the Midwest. Employees had above average levels of well-being with full-time employees having significantly higher levels of well-being than part-time employees. Employees who are aware of available wellness programs had higher levels of well-being than those who are not aware of these programs. The findings suggest the need for organizations and managers to implement and communicate wellness program offerings to all employees.     

Motivating Golf Employees in Southwest Florida

Golf course communities are established to serve the needs of their members. However, the number of golfers in the United States has decreased from 30.6 million in 2005 to 25.7 million in 2011. This poses a real threat to the golf industry. Since employees deliver this service to members, human resource management and employee job satisfaction and motivation becomes paramount. The purpose of this study was to ascertain job satisfaction at golf facilities in Southwest Florida and to determine possible areas for improving job satisfaction in order to enhance organizational outcomes and golfer retention. While the research demonstrated overall job satisfaction was high, job interest among the lower skilled employees was low. A series of job enrichment strategies were recommended to improve job satisfaction among lower skilled employees.     

Impact of Guest Reward Programs on the Firms' Performance

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the commonly important variables that characterizes the reward programs of airline and hotel firms and measures the impact of reward programs on the firms' overall performance. This study focuses on examining the reward programs of two service industries, namely, airlines and hotels. The findings of this study are as follows. First, ten significant variables of the reward programs that differentiate their own program from the other and ultimately make consumers choose a particular program among various programs are derived and evaluated. T-test is employed to examine significant differences between the two ROE means for each of the ten variables. The variables that were significant were elite level qualification, affinity credit card, and award threshold were significant at the 0.01, 0.05, and 0.10 level, respectively. Second, the impacts of those influential variables on the firms' performance are measured. The three variables, purchasing miles or point, enrollment bonus, and award threshold are statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Purchase miles or points and enrollment bonus contributed significantly to the firms' return on equity (ROE), while the award threshold seemingly reduced the firms' earned ROE. Both the airline and hotel firms should be sensitive when establishing reasonable and attainable threshold levels for their customers. Customers generally turn away from high barriers and are more likely to select a program with less restrictions and conditions.     

Differences Between Management Philosophies Among American and Chinese Hotel Managers: A Cultural Comparison Between Las Vegas and Shanghai

The aim of this study is to ascertain, in an international tourism context, whether there are cultural discrepancies between hotel employees who have been educated and trained in a host country, and guests who have traveled to that country, given that each group is imbued with their own national culture. The findings indicate that not only do Thai frontline hotel employees have different expectations about the behavior of Japanese and Korean customers, but that the expectations of both customer groups concerning their own behavior differ from those of Thai employees. A significant gap was found in perceptions of actual behavior between the international customers and hotel staff, suggesting that cultural discrepancies are indeed present, but also vary by ethnicity. The scale of the discrepancy between Thai employees’ perceptions of Japanese tourists’ behavior, for example, was larger than in the case of the Korean customers. Comparison of the expectations of the two international customer groups also revealed strong differences.     

Policies on smoking in the casino workplace and their impact on smoking behavior among employees: Case study of casino workers in Macao

Exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) is a major health concern. This study sought to examine the smoking behaviors of casino workers in Macao, and explore how workplace smoking policies might affect that behavior. A majority of casino workers who smoked believed that exposure to SHS at work makes it harder to quit smoking, while over a quarter minded people smoking near them at work because of that reason. Over half of the workers believed that they would try to quit smoking if no-one was allowed to smoke in their workplace. The findings demonstrate how smoke-free casinos could lead to a healthier workforce, not just due to reduced exposure to dangerous chemicals in SHS, but also from the potential reduction in smoking among workers. The hospitality industry, and policy makers in government, should ensure that casinos, and their workforce, are not excluded from smoke-free legislation.     

Work-Family conflict and turnover intentions: A study comparing China and U.S. hotel employees

Employee turnover continues to be a major problem within the hotel industry. This survey-based study examined the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intentions among hotel employees in both China and the U.S., with an additional emphasis on female employees. While the results do confirm that work-family conflict is positively related with turnover intentions, work-family conflict is more strongly related to turnover intentions among males than females. The relationship is also stronger in Chinese hotel female employees than their U.S. counterparts. Results demonstrated that neither marital status nor parenthood influences the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intentions among hotel female employees. Management implications and future research directions are provided.     

Call Center Employees’ Intent to Quit: Examination of Job Engagement and Role Clarity

Call centers have become a valuable resource for hotels in managing customer experiences and relationships, yet they have also developed a reputation for being a stressful job which has made it a significant challenge to retain employees. Given high turnover rates among call center employees, it is important for hospitality firms to understand the factors influencing their intentions to quit. This study focuses on job engagement and role clarity to examine hotel call center employees’ intent to quit. The survey results of call center employees at a large resort hotel suggest that job engagement significantly influences the hotel call center employees’ intent to quit after accounting for job satisfaction and organizational support. Role clarity, however, is not related to intent to quit. Managerial implications and recommendations for increasing employee job engagement are discussed.