Cross-Cultural Impact and Learning Needs for Expatriate Hotel Employees in Taiwan Lodging Industry

Abstract

This study investigated specific cross-cultural issues affecting expatriate hotel employees in Taiwan's lodging industry to determine if Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) might help expatriate hotel employees adjust to a new culture and a new business environment. The most formidable task in the human resource area facing many global firms is the development of a cadre of employees and executives who have a deep understanding of the global market environment and the capability to transfer this knowledge into determined action (Pucik, Tichy, & Barnet, 1992). Employees who are expatriates in the hospitality industry are now more important than ever, as more hotel chains are seeking expansion opportunities into overseas markets. However, individuals who are sent overseas without adequate training often fail, and there are significant costs associated with this failure (Li, 1995).

The purpose of CCT is to increase the probability of an individual's adjustment into another culture (Cushner & Brislin, 1995). However, CCT could still be a valuable tool to help expatriates cope with culture shock even though the importance of expatriates being involved in CCT might not be as important as generally thought. Considering the cost, there may be other alternatives to facilitate expatriate adjustment. There does exist an inevitable trend of globalization. Developing coordination, training, and acculturation takes time, effort, and money. Clearly more research is warranted relative to expatriation in the hospitality industry.     

酒店市场营销:花得越多越好?

本文使用史密斯旅游研究(Smith Travel Research,STR)提供的酒店数据来探寻市场营销开支对酒店将来财务效益的影响.根据荻取的结论,我们有3大发现:1)市场营销支出对酒店一年后财务影响的边际效应呈递减分布;2)在个体酒店这个层次,总经营利润(gross operating profit)、纯经营利润(net operating income)以及总销售(revenue)有很强的自我预测性;3)对总经营利润、纯经营利润以及总销售的构成作进一步分析可以获得更好的预测效果.     

Destination marketing organization website visitors’ flow experience: an application of Plog’s model of personality

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the relationships among website features (i.e. informativeness, design, and interactivity), flow experience, and the user’s intention to seek and use travel information provided on destination marketing organization (DMO) websites. It incorporates the moderating effects of personality into those relationships. Respondents (n = 433) were asked to visit and explore a DMO website and then to respond as if they were planning to travel to the destination. The results show that three website features relate positively to flow experience and that flow experience contributes to behavioral intention. This study also finds that personality moderates the link between web features (informativeness and interactivity) and flow experience, the implications of which are discussed at the end of the paper.     

我国旅游饭店业向成熟转化时期的竞争特征和战略对策

我国旅游饭店业正逐步向产业成熟阶段转化,基本竞争环境发生了根本性的变化。本文运用SCP分析框架,对我国旅游饭店业产业转化时期的市场结构、企业行为和经济绩效进行了全面分析,对发展趋势进行了预测,并就产业转化时期的企业战略调整提出了政策及措施建议。     

Exploring Content and Design Factors Associated with Convention and Visitors Bureau Web Site Development

Abstract

Convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) have become important organizations within the tourism industry. The International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) reported that it represents approximately 500 destination management organizations in 30 countries (IACVB, 2003). As one of the most important components of the tourism industry in the United States, the Convention and Visitors Bureau performs various activities to facilitate destination marketing and development, with the aim of enticing leisure and convention customers to their particular city or region. Meanwhile, meeting planners are using technology to enhance their ability to produce and execute meetings that demonstrate a high return on investment. Consequently, CVBs' websites have enormous potential in selling a destination and facilitating the meeting/convention planning process. This paper explores the content and design factors associated with convention and visitors bureau web site development. It also demonstrates how planners utilize the Internet and CVB websites.     

我国饭店业可持续发展探讨

本文从经济、社会、资源、环境、制度建设五个方面构建了我国饭店业可持续发展的考察要素框架;在研究饭店绿色营销与饭店业可持续发展的关系的基础上,提出了饭店实施绿色营销管理是实现饭店业可持续发展的理想选择,并探讨了饭店绿色营销的任务和对策,着重分析了饭店绿色营销的综合成本与综合效益;在研究饭店绿色标志的基础上,提出我国饭店业可持续发展的重点在于建立和实施饭店绿色等级标准。     

Green Marketing: Hotel Customers’ Perspective

Green marketing should appeal to the needs and desires of environmentally concerned customers. The aim of this study was to investigate hotel customers’ perceptions of hotels’ green marketing strategies. A questionnaire containing 30 statements was used to gauge respondents’ perceptions of different hotel green marketing strategies. Using exploratory factor analysis to identify interpretable orthogonal factors, five factors were identified and interpreted: (1) Green Partnership; (2) Development of Green Products and Services; (3) Genuine Green Products and Services; (4) Higher Price for Green Products and Services; and (5) Credibility of Green Promotion. Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were conducted to examine significant differences between hotel customers’ ratings of the importance of the identified factors according to demographic variables. This is one of the first research studies to examine green marketing in the hotel industry. The discussion of the findings includes some practical implications to help hotel marketers implement more effective green marketing strategies.     

Sustainability Management of Hotels: How Do Customers Respond in Online Reviews?

The purpose of this study was to investigate how guests respond to the sustainability efforts of sustainably managed hotels by discussing them in reviews posted online. Thus, an exploratory research design and the content analysis method were chosen for this study. The content analysis technique was used to analyze User Generated Content and to explore what attributes of sustainability are perceived as the most important by hotel guests in online reviews and whether they generate positive or negative feelings. An analysis of the reviews showed that hotel guests perceive sustainability positively: most indicators were discussed in a positive context, and reviews that contained sustainability attributes had higher guest ratings than other reviews. Explicit references to sustainability were found in only 6.8% of all customer comments. The most frequently encountered indicators in guest reviews were biodiversity, education and sustainable products. Customers mainly discuss attributes that have direct impacts on their experience or are observable at the hotel. Customers are likely to realize that a hotel’s commitment to sustainability can excuse the hotel for a suffered inconvenience. This finding implies that hoteliers should educate guests on their sustainability measures, as higher awareness may increase customer satisfaction.     

Determination of Significant Issues

Abstract

Assuring quality depends on the quality of information obtained in measurement efforts. One assessment technique that has been used in a variety of applications is importance-performance analysis (IPA). The final analysis of any traditional IPA is based on a subjective placement of classification dividers. As such, any recommendation from the use of traditional importance-performance analysis is subject to this often overlooked limitation. This research utilizes new developments concerning the components of IPA to present a quantitative method to analyze importance-performance data. Hypothetical data is presented to illustrate the method and results are discussed.     

住客酒店点评对调节焦点个体的说服效果

网络Web 2.0时代,游客在预订酒店时常常通过查询先前住客点评内容来了解酒店情况。住客生成的网络点评内容是影响口碑效果的重要因素,但点评内容正负性和详略性的作用现有研究还存在一些争议。以调节焦点理论为基础研究酒店预订中住客点评的说服效果,通过2×2×2实验研究发现,负向酒店点评对预防焦点个体的说服效果更优,正向酒店点评对促进焦点个体的说服效果更优,详尽的酒店点评内容对预防焦点个体的说服效果更大,简略的酒店点评内容对促进焦点型个体的说服效果更大。     

Value of a hotel stay: a case study in Hong Kong

This study examines the value of a hotel stay from the perspective of hotel customers and hotel service professionals. Respondents, including hotel customers and hotel service professionals, were asked the extent of their agreement or disagreement with statements related to four different value dimensions: functional value, emotional value, social value, and customer-perceived sacrifices. Results showed that there are significant differences between the hotel service professionals’ perceived value of the hotel stay and customers’ perceived value of the hotel stay. The differences are found in social value and customer-perceived sacrifices.     

基于旅游服务功能的饭店网站评价初步研究——以南京市星级饭店为例

本文试图对我国旅游饭店网站评价问题进行初步探讨。文章运用调查法,从旅游服务功能视角构建饭店网站评价指标体系,建立指标量化评分方法,并对南京市星级饭店网站进行实际评价。结果表明,目前南京市星级饭店信息化水平不高,已建网站旅游服务功能总体上尚待完善,不同档次星级饭店网站旅游服务功能差异性较为明显,中低档饭店网站旅游服务功能不完善现象更为突出。     

服务营销管理体系与酒店绩效关系的实证研究

已有研究主要探讨某一服务营销管理举措与企业绩效的关系,而在酒店业不同的发展阶段,各种服务营销管理举措发挥作用的程度不同.为了揭示现阶段我国酒店最佳的营销管理组合,我们在充分总结有关研究的基础上,构建了服务营销管理体系对酒店绩效影响的回归模型,随后对全国30多个城市千余家酒店进行了问卷调查,对221个有效样本的分析发现:在酒店服务营销管理体系中,服务创新、服务补救和人员管理决定着酒店绩效,且酒店星级对以上关系存在显著的调节作用.