The Use of Importance Performance Analysis in the Hospitality Industry

ABSTRACT

Increased demands placed by consumers, competition, and shrinking management teams has resulted in the need for hospitality professionals to use effective tools to improve the changing situation. The Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) was a tool first introduced by Martilla and James (1977) to assist professionals in evaluating the effectiveness of various agency issues and attributes. Hospitality researchers have used this technique in at least forty-two studies since then. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of IPA in hospitality related research and compare historical use of IPA to a recent study in a private club setting.     

Valuing financial,health, and environmental benefits of Bt cotton in Pakistan

Data from a farm survey and choice experiment are used to value the benefits of Bt cotton in Pakistan. Unlike previous research on the economic impacts of Bt, which mostly concentrated on financial benefits in terms of gross margins, we also quantify and monetize health and environmental benefits associated with technology adoption. Due to lower chemical pesticide use on Bt cotton plots, there are significant health advantages in terms of fewer incidents of acute pesticide poisoning, and environmental advantages in terms of higher farmland biodiversity and lower soil and groundwater contamination. Farmers themselves value these positive effects at US$ 79 per acre, of which half is attributable to health and the other half to environmental improvements. Adding average gross margin gains of US$ 204 results in aggregate benefits of US$ 283 per acre, or US$ 1.8 billion for the total Bt cotton area in Pakistan.     

Participation to the public life and becoming organized at local level in Romani settlements in Izmir

There are more than 20 million Romani residents in many countries around the world. Due to social and economic reasons, many Romanies do not declare their ethnic origins; therefore, it is not possible to obtain any exact figures from official records. Romanies may have a preference of not defining themselves openly as “Romanies”. However, it is thought that they are distinguished from non-Romanies with their unique behavior and speech. Actually, physical features cannot be used as a definite distinctive feature in identifying Romanies. As a matter of fact, the first Romanies who had entered Europe were identified by their dark skin color and black hair, whereas today, it is possible to see Romanies with light skin and hair color. Romanies and music are often considered together; they have trained numerous accomplished musicians.     

甘肃省景泰川电力提灌灌区计划用水的技术实践与效果

计划用水对于提高灌区经济效益具有重要的现实意义,既满足农作物的需水需求,又降低用水户的投入,既不浪费水资源,又节省工程管理费用和运行费用,使双向效益最大化。     

衡阳市城镇化进程中的土地可持续利用研究

研究了城镇化进程背景下衡阳市的土地利用变化的总体特征;衡阳市土地利用仍存在一些问题:耕地减少与人口增加的反差明显,人地矛盾日益尖锐;土地污染严重,环境恶化明显;土地利用协调度低,土地开发超强度和土地利用低集约化并存;人类经济活动频繁,人为水土流失增强;从制定科学的土地利用规划方案,协调耕地与建设用地的关系,保证农地质量不再下降,进一步提高土地利用率,有效防治水土流失等5方面提出促进衡阳市土地可持续利用的政策建议.     

Information technology change,work complexity and service jobs: a contingent perspective

We examine the contingent impact of implementing an enterprise‐wide information technology system (Enterprise Resource Planning) on perceptions of work complexity in clerical, technical and managerial service sector jobs. Using matched and control samples of employee survey data, we compare pre‐ and post‐intervention perceptions of work complexity and importance of analytical skills across three hierarchical job levels: clerical, technical and managerial. We find that employees in clerical jobs, at the lowest level in the hierarchy, experience a significant increase in work complexity and need for analytical skills, whereas those in technical and managerial service jobs do not. Implications for theory, management of technology and employment policy are discussed.     

浅谈档案信息资源的开发利用

文章从档案信息资源的特殊性入手，对档案信息资源的开发利用这一课题进行了深入细致的阐述。     

基于熵值法的城市土地可持续利用评价——以石家庄市为例

城市土地利用系统是自然—社会一经济的复合系统，城市土地可持续利用目标就是要达到环境效益、经济效益和社会效益的协调统一；从资源环境支撑性、经济可行性、社会可接受性等3个方面，选取了30项评价指标，构建了城市土地可持续利用的评价指标体系，运用熵值法确定指标权重，对石家庄市1999~2005年的城市土地持续利用水平进行了动态评价，通过可持续利用障碍诊断，确定持续利用的障碍因素，提出针对性的对策与建议。     

Internet Access and Farm Household Income – Empirical Evidence using a Semi‐parametric Assessment in Taiwan

There is considerable literature examining individuals’ behaviour with respect to Internet use, but less attention is paid to farm household use of the Internet. Among the few studies on farm households, the emphasis is on the correlation between socioeconomic factors and the adoption of the Internet. Thus, relatively little is known about the association between Internet use and farm household well‐being. In an effort to fill this void, this paper investigates Internet access among farm households and examines the effects of Internet access on farm household income. Given the observed income gap between Internet users and non‐users, we then investigate the extent to which socioeconomic factors may be associated with this income gap. Using a nationwide survey of farm households in Taiwan, a novel econometric model is proposed and estimated employing a semi‐parametric technique. Our results support the conclusion that Internet use improves farm household income. Most of the income gap between adopters and non‐adopters can be explained by the differences in the return of the socioeconomic factors.