Development and validation of standard hotel corporate social responsibility (CSR) scale from the employee perspective

The prevalent trends of sustainability and responsible management have promoted corporate social responsibility (CSR) to attract considerable research and business interest. However, despite its importance, few efforts have been exerted to develop a standardized CSR scale in the hotel industry. This study aims to develop and validate a multidimensional scale of hotel CSR measurement as perceived by hotel staff who understands CSR. Results of running factor analyses generate a five-factor structure. The overall measurement model demonstrates a satisfactory level of goodness-of-fit and supports convergent validity, discriminate validity, nomological validity, and predictive validity. The legal domain received the highest mean score among the five hotel CSR domains, followed by ethical, financial/economic, environmental, and social/philanthropic domains. The value on employee attitude toward the CSR-implementing hotel, employee satisfaction with the CSR-implementing hotel, and organizational commitment toward the CSR-implementing hotel varied between front-of-house and back-of-house employees. This validated measurement scale is recommended for future studies to explore the effect of hotel CSR in various countries or regions.     

The impact of information technology on hotel operations,service management and transaction costs: A conceptual framework for full-service hotel firms

This paper develops a conceptual framework that describes the impact of information technology (IT) on service management and transaction costs in full service hotel firms. It details how IT would help such firms to lower operations-related transaction costs. Further, the underpinnings of how IT would impact service management in full service hotel firms is discussed more specifically from a customer satisfaction point of view while focusing on two aspects, i.e. managing customer delight and the customer's role as a co-producer. Propositions are developed and a discussion on the impact of IT on firm profitability from a transaction cost perspective ensues while concluding with managerial implications.     

Socially responsible human resource management and hotel employee organizational citizenship behavior for the environment: A social cognitive perspective

Drawing on the social cognitive theory, this study intends to discuss the concept of socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) and empirically examine the impact of SRHRM on hospitality employee’s organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE). By a two-stage survey of 270 responses from one chain hotel group in Shanghai, China, our findings indicated that SRHRM had a positive impact on OCBE; moral reflectiveness fully mediated the relationship between SRHRM and OCBE. Moreover, the effect of SRHRM on moral reflectiveness and the indirect impact of SRHRM on OCBE via moral reflectiveness were stronger with lower rather than higher levels of responsible leadership. These results extend the macro-level factors in influencing hospitality employee’s environmental-behavioral intentions and provide significant insights into why and how SRHRM affects hospitality employee OCBE. Finally, we outline the results, theoretical and empirical significance, and propose future research directions.     

A diary study of work consequences for hotel employees victimized by supervisor from a demand-resource perspective on employee emotions

How would perceiving oneself as a victim of abusive supervisor behavior affect one’s work attitudes? This study examines the mediating role of emotional change on the detrimental work outcomes caused by hotel employees’ perceived victim identity. It further investigates how emotional exhaustion moderates the relationship between perceived victim identity and two outcome variables, daily job satisfaction and work engagement. The research hypotheses were tested by a multi-level analysis (cf., hierarchical linear modeling) using a sample of 128 hotel employees in China who took surveys twice per day over 14 consecutive days. The findings show that emotional change significantly mediates the negative effect of hotel employees’ perceived victim identity on their work attitudes, and emotional exhaustion moderates this effect such that higher exhaustion exacerbates the negative relationship. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings for hospitality researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Customer mistreatment and employee well-being: A daily diary study of recovery mechanisms for frontline restaurant employees in a hotel

Research on customer mistreatment towards frontline service employees in the hospitality industry has been steadily rising in recent years, but little is known about the mechanism underlying its detrimental impact on the non-work life of employees and why some of them could handle it effectively. By integrating conservation of resources theory with the stressor-detachment model, this daily diary study examined the effect of daily customer mistreatment on employees’ daily well-being at home (vigor and exhaustion) through daily psychological detachment. Employees’ recovery self-efficacy and the trait of resilience, which might mitigate the process were also examined. An experience sampling methodology was applied, and the survey data were gathered from 54 frontline restaurant employees conducted across 5 consecutive workdays. Results of hierarchical linear modeling supported all the hypotheses in this study. Our findings revealed a spillover effect of customer mistreatment and the importance of improving employees’ recovery in the hospitality context.     

Interaction between hotel service robots and humans: A hotel-specific Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM)

The growing implementation of robotics in hospitality and tourism requires broader research into customers' experience with service robots. This study explores human-robot interaction (HRI) in the context of tourists interacting with hotel service robots. The data, 7994 online TripAdvisor reviews of 74 hotels, were subjected to a content analysis based on the Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM) and its dimensions (functional, social-emotional and relational). A sentiment analysis was also carried out. The results identify the principal dimensions and variables involved in HRI and the feelings robots inspire in different types of travellers. Guests most often comment on the functional dimension. Robots' functions determine this experience and influence the interaction between robots and hotel guests.     

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer loyalty in the hotel industry: A cross-country study

The study examines the role of customer perceptions of CSR in improving customer loyalty by exploring its direct and mediated effects through service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate image and corporate reputation in a cross-country setting. Data from Pakistan, China, and Italy was collected through surveys to explore customers’ hotel experiences. The hypotheses were tested with SmartPLS-3. Findings for the overall sample revealed that CSR affected customer loyalty positively and significantly. Nonetheless, this relationship was insignificant in the samples from Pakistan and Italy, while it was found to be only partially significant in China. The findings also revealed a direct, positive and significant impact of CSR on service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate image and corporate reputation. The direct relationships among all these variables were also significant across samples. Customer satisfaction and corporate image were identified as significant mediators of the CSR-loyalty link, but service quality and corporate reputation were found insignificant.     

A framework to account for the tourism carbon footprint at island destinations

Given concerns over greenhouse gases and the role of tourism in generating such environmental externality, a consistent carbon measurement framework is needed. This paper combines principles derived from production and consumption accounting measures to better allocate the responsibility for carbon emissions. Utilizing a boundary that includes domestic tourism expenditure, inbound tourism expenditure, and local spending associated with outbound travel, this paper (a) proposes a framework to measure the domestic total carbon effect and foreign-sourced effect, and (b) applies the analytical framework to Taiwan. The empirical study indicates that the carbon emissions for domestic tourism industries, international aviation, and imports accounted for 47%, 28% and 25% of the tourism carbon footprint. It is suggested that an island's dependence on both aviation and international trade leads to a larger share of emissions outside their geographic territory with respect to tourism development.     

Managerial response strategies to eWOM: A framework and research agenda for webcare

Managers increasingly address client feedback online, a practice known as webcare. Based on a systematic literature review on webcare, we provide a framework that aims to identify potential generalizations, discuss possible explanations for inconsistencies that require further investigation, and identify the under-researched areas concerning the managerial responses to eWOM (electronic Word-of-Mouth). This framework covers several practical and theoretical questions. Our systematic review suggests that organizations should respond to eWOM, especially when it is negative, and should do so in a personalized, detailed, and timely manner. Accommodative webcare should go beyond a mere apology and should focus on solving the issue. We integrate these results from prior research with insights from justice theory, attribution theory, message personalization, and service recovery to develop an extensive conceptual framework describing the factors to consider when engaging in webcare and the potential outcomes. This framework guides our suggestions for future research that should disentangle the many contradictory effects (e.g., when to use defensive webcare) and cover under-researched topics (e.g., webcare strategies for positive WOM specifically or the underlying mechanisms explaining the effects of different webcare strategies), and the mechanisms through which webcare strategies lead to better business performance.     

A conceptual framework of the service delivery system design for hospitality firms in the (post-)viral world: The role of service robots

This study aims to develop a conceptual framework of the service delivery system design for hospitality firms in the (post-)viral world. Several theoretical approaches such as resource-based view, value chain analysis, stakeholder theory, PESTEL analysis, positioning strategy, and service delivery system design were adopted. The paper identified three service delivery system designs (robotic, human-based, and mixed) and analyses their requirements, advantages, disadvantages, and potential target markets. According to the suggested model, hospitality firms need first to explore the expectations of tourists. Then comes the analysis phase (based on a holistic perspective, and consisting of RBV, Value chain, Stakeholder, and PESTEL analyses), which helps hospitality firms to identify how they should differentiate and position themselves in the market. Following, companies decide on what kind of service delivery system they should offer to their target customers, and position themselves in the market according to the chosen system.     

吕留良后裔流放宁古塔始末

吕留良身世 　　吕留良,字用晦,号晚村,浙江崇德(现为桐乡市崇福镇)人,生于明崇祯二年(1629年),卒于清康熙二十二年(1683年),他“颖悟绝人,读书三遍辄不忘“,八岁就能吟诗作文.后来成为著名思想家、学者、诗人、时文评选和出版家.吕氏为明朝宗亲,父吕元学是万历举人,官繁昌县令.留良为遗腹子,行五.少时,江南文人结社成风,三哥愿良是一位很有影响的社坛领袖,他主持的澄社盛极一时.崇祯十二年,愿良应召进京,澄社解散,但澄社的活动已经给幼年吕留良以深刻影响,致使他十二岁就与侄子吕宣忠及家乡士子结征书社,讨论诗文,“论列古今“,很早就怀有“以天下为己任“的志向.……     

A GIS-based fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) for ecotourism suitability decision making: A case study of Babol in Iran

Managing ecotourism through appropriate zoning is critical for land use planning. This study is the first to integrate a geographic information system (GIS) with a Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) to evaluate the relative importance of physical, natural, environmental, and socio-economic factors for determining the suitability of ecotourism sites. Eleven factors were selected through questionnaire-based surveying of 35 ecotourism and land management experts. F-AHP was applied to weight these factors in order to index and map the suitability of an Iranian case study area for ecotourism using GIS data. A reliable model for the identification of zone suitability was developed which revealed that landform and distance to stream, followed by temperature and elevation were the most important factors for calculating the suitability index. This paper provides useful insights into this novel application of a GIS-based F-AHP for ecotourism planning relevant for policy-makers, planners and practitioners.     

The Protected Area Visitor Impact Management (PAVIM) Framework: A Simplified Process for Making Management Decisions

Ecotourism and protected area visitation in Central and South America have resulted in ecological impacts, which some protected areas managers have addressed by employing visitor impact management frameworks. In this paper, we propose the Protected Area Visitor Impact Management (PAVIM) framework as an alternative to carrying capacity and other frameworks such as Limits of Acceptable Change. We use a set of evaluation criteria to compare the relative positive and negative attributes of carrying capacity, other decision-making frameworks and the new framework, within the context of their actual and potential use in Central and South America. Positive attributes of PAVIM include simplicity, flexibility, cost effectiveness, timeliness and incorporating input from stakeholders and local residents. Negative attributes include diminished objectivity and cultural sensitivity issues. Further research and application of PAVIM are recommended.     

Consulting communities: using audience response system (ARS) technology to assess community preferences for sustainable recreation and tourism development

Audience response system (ARS) technology (also known as “clickers”) has emerged as an educational tool that promotes active learning. This paper describes how ARS works and how it can also be used in research to assess community preferences for tourism development. A case study that used ARS technology shows how stakeholder preferences for extraction, heritage tourism and recreation within two rural mountain economies in the US west were effectively assessed. The use of ARS was backed by situation assessment procedures to determine appropriate stimulus questions probing trade-offs, perceived costs/benefits and cultural fit. A detailed series of key results measured community preferences and were made available to guide policymaking and future empirical survey work. Public meeting arrangements, publicity, structure and moderation for the ARS work is described and discussed. Evaluation of the use of ARS technology showed high levels of participant satisfaction with both the technology and the situation assessment procedures, and the emergence of potential tourism development actions.     

Exploring best practices for online engagement via Facebook with local destination management organisations (DMOs) in Europe: A longitudinal analysis

Further longitudinal and empirical studies of destination management organisations (DMOs) are needed to enhance our understanding of tourists' engagement management via social networking sites (SNS). In the context of European local DMOs and exploring a timeframe of 6 years, this paper provides evidence of a positive trend in tourists' online engagement. However, greater effort in managing SNS must be made, prioritising interactive conversations. Seasonality exists: more online interaction takes place during the off season than in the peak season. The successful management of SNS requires careful attention to the content, format and timing of posts and to the expression of sentiments. Emphasis should be placed on the natural resources of the destination, on the use of video formats, on the expression of positive sentiments and on making posts during weekends, in the evening and at night.     

Geography of taste and local development in Abruzzo (Italy): project to establish a training and research centre for the promotion of enogastronomic culture and tourism

Food is not merely a source of nourishment but also one of survival for human beings. Depending on production methods, food can also become a cultural reference point, an element of regional development and a tourist resource. This occurs with “local” food, representing a model of production and consumption that suggests a strong link with the region in which the food is produced. Over the last few years, the field of geographical studies has seen the rise of a specialised branch – the geography of taste – concerned with the study of links between the production of food, seen as a phenomenon of organisation of production, and the territory of reference. The production of food with these qualitative characteristics engages all five senses, assumes cultural significance and thus represents an element of emotional richness – the “gaze” – capable of being transformed into the tourist attraction defined in this paper as the “taste of geography”. These phenomena have been studied in a region of Italy – Abruzzo – in order to obtain the necessary data to plan a training and research centre for the promotion of enogastronomic culture and tourism.