Managers from “Hell” in the hospitality industry: How do hospitality employees profile bad managers?

This study aimed to explore the perceived characteristics of “bad” managers working within the hospitality industry. By employing a grounded theory approach, 72 hospitality employees were interviewed and asked to describe the attributes and behaviors of a current or past bad manager. In addition, the respondents were asked about the root cause/s of the undesirable qualities described in the study. The research findings identified six themes relating to the attributes of bad managers: unprofessional, autocratic management style, poor leadership skills, unethical, poor operational and technical skills, and poor decision and delegation skills. In addition, perceptions of the root causes of bad managers were categorized into four themes: company culture and structure, personal characteristics, unqualified, and tenure and comfort zone. This is one of the first studies in the hospitality field to address bad managers’ attributes and why and how managers became bad managers. Specific theoretical and practical implication are provided.     

Exploring employees’ perceptions of costs and benefits of unionization in the hospitality industry

There is scant research on the impact of unionization on hospitality employees’ job security, health, and working conditions. This research explores employees’ beliefs of costs and benefits of unionization in hospitality organizations given that previous research has mainly focused on its influence on the firm and the industry. The findings of this study suggest that unionization can present a unique set of challenges both for line-level employees and managers. The ‘it’s not my job’ attitude associated with unionization can have a dampening impact on employees’ future career opportunities. Future research needs to consider the long-term consequences of unionization on employees.     

What certifications are important in the hospitality industry?

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for certification in hospitality; and specifically to see if professional certifications are valued when earned at the college level and brought to the workplace when hired. There were 79 online surveys completed by hospitality industry professionals at the level of hiring manager. The results of the study showed that there is value in completing certificates while in college, before entering the hospitality workforce. Such certifications as ServSafe, Alcohol Awareness, and Guest Service Professional, were found important when applying to hospitality industry related positions after earning a 4-year degree.     

Predicting hospitality employees’ safety performance behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic

This study develops and tests a research model to explain and predict how and when organizational safety climate influences hospitality employees’ safety performance behaviors by proposing two boundary conditions: communication transparency and safety-related stigma based on expectancy-valence theory. Specifically, we examined if communication transparency intensifies the impact of perceived safety climate on employees’ safety motivation that drives safety performance behaviors through prevention work focus and if safety-related stigma attenuates the links between safety motivation and safety performance behaviors. Based on two national samples of 214 South Korean and 240 U.S. foodservice employees, this research found that safety climate was positively associated with safety motivation, prompting safety behaviors with the key mediating mechanism of prevention focus work. However, there were different patterns observed for the moderating roles of communication transparency and stigma for the foodservice employees between South Korea and the United States. Implications of the findings are discussed for hospitality researchers and practitioners.     

What factors influence Generation Y’s employee retention in the hospitality industry?: An internal marketing approach

Individuals from Generation Y are entering into the hospitality job market, but little is known about their intention to remain in the hospitality business. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors affect a Generation Y employee’s intention to remain with a hospitality company with respect to internal marketing tactics. Qualtrics, an online survey service company, was used to distribute and collect a self-administered questionnaire survey. A theoretically proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicated that “work environment” significantly influence Generation Y employees’ job satisfaction, followed by “empowerment,” “pay,” and “relationships with managers,” which in turn, influences “employee commitment” and “intention to remain in hospitality business.” The implications of the study are discussed.     

Compensation practices in the lodging industry: Does top management pay affect corporate performance?

The current study examines the relationship between executive compensation and firm performance in the U.S. lodging industry. It is not clear-cut whether performance leads to compensation or compensation drives firm performance. Our contention is that cash and lagged equity-based compensation drive the firm performance. Our findings suggest that chief executive officer's (CEO) contemporaneous cash-compensation and one-year lagged equity-compensation positively affect the accounting performance measures return on assets and Tobin's Q; but neither compensation components affects the market-performance measure, stock returns, in the lodging industry. Quantitatively similar findings are found for the chief financial officer (CFO). Further robustness test show that further lags of equity compensation of both named executives do not result in increased stock performance in the lodging industry.     

Are innovations relevant for consumers in the hospitality industry? A hedonic approach for Cuban hotels

This paper evaluates the impact of innovative activity in the hotel industry on the willingness to pay by consumers. To this end, we estimate a hedonic price function where innovation is identified indirectly through certain attributes that previous literature has linked with hotel innovativeness. The test is performed on a representative sample of Cuban hotels, considering a large number of attributes of hotels and rooms. To solve the usual problems of collinearity, a million alternative models are estimated by choosing the variables included in a random manner and obtaining the final coefficients by means of an internal meta-analysis. The results are completed with a variance decomposition analysis. The results highlight the importance of the attributes linked to innovation and internationalization on the determination of room prices in Cuban hotels: membership of international hotel chains, high quality offers, diversified rooms, and adaptability to specific needs of each client.     

Undergraduate students’ perceptions of the importance of English in the tourism and hospitality industry

Educators commonly promote English as beneficial to future employability, but students’ perceptions of the importance of English in the tourism and hospitality industry are often not considered. It is important that students’ perceptions are examined as gaining better insights could allow more positive attitudes to both English and the industry being fostered. This study investigated the perceptions of students (n = 71) enrolled at a university in Japan and found no statistically significant differences based on gender, country of origin, year of study, work experience, or future work intentions. However, it was indicated that communicative competence, confidence, English listening, and English speaking were the factors perceived to be most important by the students. Consequently, it is suggested that tourism and hospitality courses should incorporate components that focus mainly on these skills, but not to the detriment of English reading and writing, which were also perceived as important.     

Does hospitality diversity education make a difference in undergraduate students’ emotional intelligence

Soft skills are typically referred to as the attributes exhibited or contained by an individual that display his/her ability to interact with others. Two types of soft skills that are often discussed within the hospitality industry are diversity awareness and emotional intelligence. Diversity may be explained or defined as a state of unlikeness, the conditions of being different, and all things that make us different. Areas where differences may exist include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political affiliation and emotional reaction. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been defined as the ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and harness emotions in the self and others. How one deals with emotion is one characteristic that varies from culture to culture. Research has shown that EI may be a contributing factor in a moment of truth being considered a failure or success. The purpose of this study was to examine if undergraduate student EI scores change after completing a diversity issues course. Students completed the Assessing Emotions Scale on the first class day. At the conclusion of the 15-week course covering approximately 20 diversity issues concepts students completed the same EI assessment. Paired sampled t-testing was conducted to determine whether mean differences existed when comparing post and pre-course scores. Results of this study suggest that certain components of EI are significantly changed after taking the diversity issues course.     

Social responsibility and total quality in the hospitality industry: does gender matter?

This empirical study examines the role of gender diversity in top management teams (TMTs) and their impact on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is an underexplored topic within the hotel sector. Based on stakeholder theory, we argue that the relationship between gender diversity and hotel performance is indirect and mediated by CSR. Our study also analyses how the implementation of total quality management (TQM) and CSR influences hotel stakeholder results, and hence business performance. Using a sample of Spanish hotels, we provide evidence that gender diversity in TMTs increases the level of implementation of CSR within the hotel industry. The results show that the impact of gender diversity on hotel performance is mediated by CSR. The findings also suggest that the adoption of TQM and CSR management philosophies improves the capacity of hotels to benefit their stakeholders, and that this improvement has a positive effect on hotel performance.     

Will we have the same employees in hospitality after all? The impact of COVID-19 on employees’ work attitudes and turnover intentions

A crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic affected the whole world leaving long-lasting effects on almost every aspect of human lives. The aim of this study was to test how different effects of COVID-19, expressed through job insecurity, employees' health complaints occurred during isolation, risk-taking behavior at workplace and changes in the organization, may impact work-related attitudes (job motivation and job satisfaction) and turnover intentions of the employees in hospitality industry. Based on the data collected from 624 hospitality workers from Serbia, the results indicated that job insecurity and changes in the organization were predictors of all outcomes, in a negative direction, while risk-taking behavior acted as a predictor of job satisfaction only, also in a negative direction. The significance of demographic characteristics, as control variables, showed that age and marital status had significant impact on job motivation and turnover intentions. The theoretical and practical implications were discussed.     

To speak up or stay silent? How employee–supervisor value differences affect speaking up behavior in the hospitality industry

Speaking up behavior plays an essential role in improving the service quality of teams and organizations. This study uses cross-level polynomial regression to explore the influence of supervisor–frontline employee power distance orientation (PDO) congruence on the speaking up behavior of frontline employees. The results indicate that congruence (vs. incongruence) in supervisor–frontline employee PDO can lead to more speaking up behavior. In addition, we propose an asymmetrical incongruence effect such that speaking up behavior will be most when supervisors are low in PDO and frontline employee are high in PDO. A team-oriented incentive structure also moderates the relationship between supervisor–frontline employee power distance orientation and speaking up behavior. These findings not only help us better understand the antecedents of frontline employee speaking up behavior, but also provide important implications for hospitality management.     

Does the geographic proximity of products influence a consumer’s decision? An evaluation in a restaurant

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Generic dimensionality of hospitality in the hotel industry: A host–guest relationship perspective

The main objectives of this study are to identify the generic facets of hospitality for hotel services irrespective of their star rating, as well as to determine the impact of generic dimensionality on guest satisfaction. The responses of 305 local and foreign hotel guests in a questionnaire survey were analysed using a Structural Equation Modelling technique. The generic facets of hotel hospitality were identified as personalisation, comfort, and warm welcoming. Of the three, only personalisation and warm welcoming contributed significantly to predicting guest satisfaction. This study is aimed at adding to the body of related literature by sharing new insights on how the generic dimensionality of hospitality in its entirety differs from that of upscale hotel hospitality.     

Does a VAT rise harm the tourism industry?Portuguese evidence

This paper estimates consequences of the VAT increase on tourism industry, by analysing the impact of the significant VAT rise in Portugal on profitability and survival of firms related to food and beverage service activities. The analysis is divided into 3 periods: before and after the VAT hike and during the financial crisis, with the total time period from 2003 to 2013. The sample is composed of 23,388 Portuguese unique firms with 5.1 year-observations per firm. The impact of the massive VAT change is assessed in comparison to the performance of 4,969 Greek and 59,841 Spanish (for robustness) unique firms for the exact time period. The results show that a dramatic VAT increase significantly affects firm profitability in the country of implementation, with the effect even more dramatic than the recent financial crisis. The equivalent to the proposed 10 percent VAT rise in Portugal has caused a significant decline in firm profitability (an average drop of 8.7% compared to 1.5% during the financial crisis), a massive increase in the number of inactive firms and amplified the likelihood of firms to become bankrupt by about three times. Such consequences inevitably affect unemployment and may cause a slump in tax revenue in the long run. Hence, this research has wide practical implications and should be considered by the Greek and Portuguese governments before taking a next step of intervening in the tourism sector.     

Effects of employees’ social exchange and the mediating role of customer orientation in the restaurant industry

This study aims to investigate the consequences of customer-employee exchage at work based on the social exchange theory. Moreover, it is to understand how the social exchange leads to employees’ prosocial service behaviors by investigating the mediating role of customer orientation. This study applied quantitative research design using cross-sectional survey approach by targeting frontline employees who had customer interactions in the full-service restaurant industry. The results present that the more employees have social exchange with customers, the more they tend to show customer service behaviors within and beyond their role requirements. In addition, customer-employee exchage leads to employees prosocial service behaviors indirectly by increasing the level of customer orientation. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the study.     

Perceptions of technical skills required for successful management in the hospitality industry—An exploratory study using conjoint analysis

The growth of hospitality programs worldwide has resulted in wide variations in program structures, curricular offerings, and course content, all of which have prompted researchers to examine essential competencies and industry needs to inform programmatic restructuring. This paper explores how important various technical skill sets are perceived to be by students, faculty, and industry professionals today. Building on the extant literature, we identified seven key technical skills: Academic performance (using grade point average as a surrogate), social networking, time management, strategic planning, spreadsheet acumen, written communication, and oral communication. Drawing from a convenience sample, 98 respondents ranked the student characteristics by ranking 18 hypothetical student job candidates, each of which was represented on a card. Developed using an orthogonal array, the hypothetical student/job candidate cards were created by varying the three values of the seven characteristic variables; the ranking responses for the 18 cards were then examined using conjoint analysis. Professionals and faculty disagreed with student respondents with respect to GPA and Spreadsheet Skills, ranking them lower in importance than other characteristics. Faculty should note that even though they do not perceive expert knowledge of spreadsheet skills to be important, professionals do. Additional research is necessary to determine whether faculty should update their perception of the demand for spreadsheet skills on the current market. Faculty also perceived social networking skills to be less important than the other respondent groups did. Finally, while Oral Communication Skills were valued more highly than any other skill set, the rankings yielded a progression of perceptions such that students valued them less highly than professionals did, and professionals valued them less highly than faculty did.     

Trust and outsourcing: Do perceptions of trust influence the retention of outsourcing providers in the hospitality industry?

The global trend toward outsourcing necessitates unprecedented symbiosis between client-based organizations—purchasers of these services—and their multiple suppliers. Building on existing empirical work that suggests that the level of trust that exists between a purchaser and a supplier is fundamental in determining the strength of such a dyadic relationship, we examine how an organization's outsourcing efforts can be influenced by trust, and how perceptions of trust influence buyer retention of outsourcing providers. The resulting causal model suggests that communication, benevolence, and trust are vital to developing and maintaining productive, enduring relationships between purchasers and suppliers.     

Career satisfaction and future intentions in the hospitality industry: An intrinsic or an extrinsic proposition?

Job satisfaction is probably one of the most researched topics in the hospitality literature and, whereas career satisfaction, defined as the gratification with the accumulation of career-related experiences over time, has received much less attention. With the intention of enhancing our conceptual understanding and adding to this discourse, this study aims to investigate the effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic job traits on the individual's career satisfaction and subsequent intention to remain in the hospitality industry. The study investigates individuals working as full time employees in hotel establishments in Cyprus. Findings, some of which challenge existing theoretical paradigms, are of interest to stakeholders both in the industry and the academic community.