The entrepreneurship research in hospitality and tourism

The purpose of this study is to review entrepreneurship research in hospitality and tourism (H&T), draw a map of the evolving domain, and propose a framework for future research. The entrepreneurship literature is categorized by identifying the antecedents and consequences in the context of H&T. The study findings suggest that entrepreneurship research subjects in H&T are extended from developed countries to emerging economies. The research level begins at the meso level (firms) and gradually develops to the micro level (individual entrepreneurs) and macro level (environment). Entrepreneurship in H&T is currently rich in practice but poor in theoretical development. This study is one of the few to critically review entrepreneurship research in H&T. This paper identifies a range of research issues in H&T entrepreneurship.     

A review of entrepreneurship research published in the hospitality and tourism management journals

This research evaluates the entrepreneurship research in field of the Hospitality and Tourism Management to obtain a better understanding of its progress and potential. The study examines entrepreneurship articles published in seven leading hospitality and tourism management journals from 1986 to 2006. Findings indicate that Tourism Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management are the top three journals that publish entrepreneurship research. However, the amount of entrepreneurship research in the leading hospitality and tourism management journals appears less than expected. Publication of empirical work has not increased over time over the past 21 years, and theoretical work remains at a consistently low level. Even for empirical studies, there is a lack of methodological sophistication of analytical and statistical tools. The results suggest a concern that entrepreneurship research remains under studied; therefore, more theoretical work is needed to map a course of study and to develop a framework unique to the entrepreneurship domain of hospitality and tourism research. The good news is that there are abundant opportunities for scholars in hospitality and tourism management to explore the field of entrepreneurship as a viable research paradigm.     

Is low unionisation in the British hospitality industry due to industry characteristics?

Low recognition and concomitant characteristics of a union presence are key factors associated with very low union membership in the British hospitality industry (HI) but there may be exceptional factors in the HI that render it more amenable to union membership after standard explanations are accounted for. Although the lessons for unions are to seek greater employer legitimacy at the same time as securing membership, recognition rates would have to increase by six times to double the rate of union density in the HI and satisfy ‘frustrated’ demand for unionisation. Questions are also raised about the utility of the statutory recognition procedures and current union organising and retention strategies.     

Motivations for entrepreneurship in the tourism and hospitality sector: A social cognitive theory perspective

A critical examination of the literature suggests that further work is needed to understand the relationship between small tourism and hospitality businesses and their external social-economic environments. In particular, the nature of personal and environmental factors influencing tourism entrepreneurship remains unknown. Focusing on one type of small business, guest houses, this study aims to examine entrepreneurs’ motivations from a dynamic perspective and explore the nature of personal and environmental factors affecting motivations for entrepreneurship. Taking a qualitative approach, four patterns of change in (or maintenance of) motivation are identified. Guided by social cognitive theory, this study finds that, among the relevant personal factors are cognitive beliefs, intrinsic needs, and demographic factors, while the environmental facilitators include changes in the tourism market, changes within the industry, and changes in setting/location. Finally, a model of small business operators’ motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship in the tourism and hospitality sector is proposed.     

The measurement of concentration in the hospitality industry

The development of a computerised data base capable of modification and updating together with both statistical and behavioural studies of market structure, conduct and performance offers a theoretical and empirical framework within which the hospitality service can be analysed and the businesses within it. This paper sets out a methodology for measuring one aspect of market structure — concentration — in one of the component sectors of tourism as a first step in this process. The computer programs are already developed and successfully run in measuring concentration in another service industry, namely retail distribution.     

Relationship between customer complaint behavior and demographic characteristics: A study of hotel restaurants' patrons

This study documented customer complaint behavior in hotel restaurants in Deadwood, USA, and examined the relationship between complaint behavior and demographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 250 hotel restaurant customers. It was found that the hotel restaurant customers tended to complain privately rather than taking public actions. Older, well-educated, customers with higher incomes tended to take private action to complain about their dissatisfaction more than younger, less educated customers with lower incomes. Based on results of the study, implications were suggested for industry practitioners to diminish the negative impact of complaint on hotel restaurants.     

A preliminary study on customer expectations of hotel hospitality: Influences of personal and hotel factors

This study attempts to explain the influence of personal and hotel factors on the expectation level of hotel hospitality as well as to propose a scale to measure commercial hospitality for hotel services. A total of 101 local and international hotel guests were involved in the study. The results revealed that the expectations of hotel hospitality are influenced by personal factors such as gender, purpose of stay, nationality, and private domain of hospitality. The hotel's star rating is the only hotel factor that might have strong association with hotel hospitality.     

The ‘demographic timebomb’ and how some hospitality employers are responding to the challenge

The phrase ‘demographic timebomb’ has taken on the aura of a shibbholeth and that everyone knows they ought to be fearful about. But is it really understood and what needs to be done? This article seeks to answer these questions and to shed some light on the employment strategies being developed by some British hospitality employers to counteract the demographic changes of the 1990s. As a result, some of the myth that the hospitality industry is lagging behind other industries can be dispelled but other findings support popular testimony that the industry faces special problems.     

Research in the field of hospitality

In this paper a model of hospitality is introduced. In this model the three elements of the hospitality offer Product, Behaviour and Environment are linked with the elements of guest satisfaction (Needs and Objectives). The model can be used for, instance, as an organizer for curriculum development of hotel and catering schools. The hospitality industry itself can apply this model in finding solutions to their problems concerning product strategies.Some further research activities showed that the model can be used for qualitative research methods. It seems possible to make the model testable in the sense that a quantitative approach could be successful.     

Human factors affecting university hospitality and tourism students' intention to use e-learning: A comparative study between Egypt and the UK

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study is to apply the technology acceptance model in examining two human factors (i.e., engagement with e-learning, self-efficacy) influencing university hospitality and tourism students' intention to use e-learning in two different higher education contexts: Egypt, as an example of a developing country, and the United Kingdom (UK), as an example of a developed country. A total of 600 online questionnaires were sent to a convenience sample of university hospitality and tourism students. Among the questionnaires returned, 442 were usable ones, representing a response rate of 73.7%. The results from structural equation modeling show that student engagement with e-learning and e-learning self-efficacy had significant effects on both the Egyptian and UK students' intention to use e-learning platforms through the mediating variables of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Additionally, gender and background were significant factors affecting students' intention.     

The concept of hospitality and an evaluation of its applicability to the experience of hospital patients

Intuitively, it would seem that there is a good case for seeing hospitality as a desirable attribute in a satisfactory hospital stay. This notion is thoroughly examined through the evaluation of various definitions of the concept of hospitality in the literature. The paper suggests a working definition of hospitality which may be both appropriate to the hospital environment, and amenable to evaluation through patient questionnaire analysis.The results show that the working definition of hospitality was credible and would prove to be a useful management tool for evaluating patient services in NHS hospitals.     

Examining the influencing factors of intention to share accommodations in online hospitality exchange networks

ABSTRACT

CouchSurfing is a free social-network-based online hospitality exchange network, aptly representing a new sharing economy phenomenon. Based on social capital theory and previous literature, this study attempts to answer why hosts help strangers without any expected economic benefit within online hospitality exchange networks. An empirical study based on a Web survey conducted with CouchSurfing hosts reveals that the most identified antecedents (enjoy helping, shared narratives, desire to make friends, and reciprocity) are significantly related to hosts’ intention to share accommodations. Interestingly, the overshadowing effect of trust in CouchSurfing on the intention to share accommodations is also found.     

Inflation and its impact on investment decisions in the hospitality industry

The impact of inflation is more severe in the hospitality industry than in some others because of its high level of capital investment. Proper evaluation of investment returns can only be made if inflation is considered in the evaluation process. This article presents an approach based on the net present value method of investment evaluation which incorporates the anticipated level of inflation and provides for the uncertainties of future cash flows.     

Experiences of mentoring in the UK hospitality sector

The challenges of developing and managing the future generation of hospitality employees and managers has highlighted the value of using mentoring to effectively socialize, support, and nurture human resources. This study examines the experiences of mentors and mentees in the UK hospitality industry using interviews and focus groups. Findings expose the beneficial outcomes of mentoring as well as the forms it can take but also the issues which may arise from this developmental intervention. The value of mentoring is highlighted, in an industry facing significant human resource dilemmas, due to its capacity to enhance the industry's image alongside its typical career development and psychosocial functions.     

Subconscious influences on perceived cleanliness in hospitality settings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now and for years to come, guests at hospitality venues will have heightened awareness with regard to formulating their perceptions of cleanliness. While perceived cleanliness has received attention in our existing body of literature, this conceptual paper integrates potential subconscious influencers on cleanliness perceptions into our understanding. Specifically, findings contained in various streams of research suggest that a number of factors can have subconscious influences on individuals’ perceptions of cleanliness in service environments. Such factors include the degree of lighting, the presence of plants / greenery, the shininess of surfaces, the use of ambient scents, the use of white bedding, and the presence of cleaning staff. Evidently, the sooner hospitality venues (particularly airlines, lodging operations, restaurants, and cruise ships) are perceived as clean and safe, the faster they will recover from the pandemic. As such, this paper is rich with both practical and research implications.     

The importance of career goal in relation to academic performance: a case study of hospitality management students

ABSTRACT

Hospitality management programs have commonly offered exclusive learning opportunities to talented students in order to keep “brains” in the industry. While academic performance indices are often used to identify “brains” in the education sector, scant research has empirically examined whether “brains” are intended to stay in the industry. This study surveyed 304 hospitality management students and examined the relationships between their career-goal related factors and academic performance. Findings indicate that career goal and positive job valence toward the hospitality industry are significantly related to academic performance. The results of this study contribute to the limited literature on the relationship between career goal and academic performance.     

The uniqueness of entrepreneurship in the sharing accommodation sector: Developing a scale of entrepreneurial capital

Hosts on sharing lodging platforms are viewed as an emerging form of entrepreneurs. This study aims to define entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial capitals and generate a multidimensional scale of entrepreneurial capitals for sharing accommodations (ECSA). A rigid procedure with three steps was followed to develop and validate this scale. An initial pool of items was provided through content analysis of 59 written surveys and literature review in Step 1. In Step 2 exploratory factor analysis (n = 150) was applied to further purify and refine this preliminary item pool. The 17-item ECSA scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (n = 328) in Step 3. Results support ECSA which covers four perspectives (i.e., financial, social, intellectual, and human capitals). The ECSA scale enriches the research body of entrepreneurship by examining an emerging business phenomenon. And it prepares practitioners for becoming micro-entrepreneurs on sharing lodging platforms.     

Mapping the progress of social media research in hospitality and tourism management from 2004 to 2014

ABSTRACT

One hundred and five articles on social media in hospitality and tourism during 2004–2014 were identified from three databases and seven journals. Seven dimensions were used for analysis. Results indicated that social media research in hospitality and tourism is in its early stages with two turning points. The number of articles rose dramatically in 2010 and unexpectedly dropped in 2014. Research gaps are apparent in several industry sectors in topics beyond online reviews and in research methods, where literature reviews suffer from small numbers and few prominent researchers. Implications and future research directions are also discussed.     

Interpretive structural modeling of quality factors in both medical and hospitality services in the medical tourism industry

This study aims to theoretically integrate quality factors of both medical and hospitality services in medical tourism. Medical tourism comprises both medicine and tourism. Although the core product in medical tourism is medical treatment, attractive hospitality and travel options are also essential. Despite the dual nature of medical tourism, the two aspects of this concept have not been integrated in a unique framework. This study attempts to fill this gap using interpretive structural modeling (ISM). According to ISM, although factors of medical services and hospitality services are independent from each other, these factors have vital impacts on perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty.