Employees' Perceptions of Performance Appraisal

ABSTRACT

In spite of the importance of performance appraisal for hotels to evaluate their employees, the existing hospitality literature largely covers studies in Western countries only. Prior studies have rarely investigated the issue of performance appraisal in the context of China, the world's largest potential market for generating tourists and receiving tourists. This paper reports on a study that used focus group interviews with employees in an upscale hotel in Hong Kong, a special administrative region in China, on their views of the appraisal system that has been used. Research findings reveal that the system could be further improved.     

The Perceived Importance of Job Attributes Among Foodservice Employees in Hong Kong Hotel Industry

Abstract

This study explored the perceived importance of fourteen job attributes among foodservice employees in Hong Kong hotels. The study identified that Pay was ranked as the most important job attribute, followed by Fringe Benefits, then Advancement and Promotion, respectively. Status, Job Autonomy, Skill Utilization, and Supervision were the attributes ranked as having the lowest importance. Four factors were derived from the fourteen job attributes: Intangible Job Context, Employee Development and Skill Utilization, Remuneration Packages and Workplace, and Intangible Work Rewards. Results of ANOVA indicated that the four factors varied significantly related to the employees' Education Level, Income Level, Position, and Type of Hotel. Implications for future studies of job attributes were discussed.     

“ENTER2008”: Report on the 15th International Conference on Information Technology and Travel and Tourism, 23–25 January 2008, Innsbruck,Austria

As the world's largest annual event on information and communication technologies (ICTs) and travel and tourism, ENTER2008 was held in Innsbruck, a small medieval town in Austria. Like previous ENTER conferences, delegates were able to participate personally in the discussion of the latest research findings and industrial innovations in the context of ICTs in travel and tourism. Delegates could also enjoy the hospitality and unique experiences offered by the conference host and organizer. Different from other ENTER conference proceedings, which always had front pages in silver, ENTER2008 proceedings used an attractive and bright cover page in a good mixture of yellow and red.     

The Importance of Hotel Attributes in Contributing to Travelers' Satisfaction in the Hong Kong Hotel Industry

Abstract

This study surveyed 402 international travelers to explore their satisfaction levels towards service and facility quality in three Hong Kong hotel market segments, High-Tariff A, High-Tariff B and Medium Tariff. Six perception dimensions were extracted from 33 hotel attributes by a factor analysis. All six dimensions had a significant impact on the overall satisfaction of travelers with service quality and facilities in the three Hong Kong hotel market segments. Quality of Staff Performance was the most influential factor followed by Quality of Room Facilities, Value for Money, Variety and Efficient Services, Business Related Services, and Safety and Security respectively. It was found that travelers had the lowest satisfaction level towards the Medium-Tariff hotel segment. By identifying the most influential hotel dimension in influencing travelers' satisfaction levels, hoteliers will be in an advantageous position to formulate tactics to meet the changing needs and expectations of travelers. Implementing human resources training that emphasizes the fact that service quality is part of each employee's job should have a significant impact on guest re-purchase intention. The importance of value segmentation cannot be overlooked by hoteliers. Travelers will continue to expect hotels to provide more value-for-money services and facilities and they are expected to shift their purchasing decision to an economic value basis.     

A travel demand model for Mainland Chinese tourists to Hong Kong

The purpose of the study was to determine what exogenous variables best explained the travel demand for Mainland Chinese tourists to Hong Kong. The 12 years (1984–1995) annual time series data of ‘number of Mainland Chinese tourist arrivals’, ‘China disposable income per capita’, ‘consumer price indices in Hong Kong and China’ and ‘exchange rates’ was used to develop a travel demand model. Seven exogenous variables were selected for the model through a literature review. An OLS multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the ‘best’ subset of seven exogenous variables to determine the demand model. The results showed that travel demand for Mainland Chinese tourists to Hong Kong could be explained by ‘disposable income per capita’ and ‘relaxation of visa requirements’.     

FDI spillovers in the Chinese hotel industry: The role of geographic regions,star-rating classifications,ownership types,and foreign capital origins

Although productivity spillovers have long been recognized to be a major benefit of foreign direct investment (FDI), such spillovers have not yet been systematically studied in the context of the hotel industry. This paper investigates hotel-related FDI spillover effects as well as moderating factors (geographic region, star rating classification, ownership type and foreign capital origin) in China. Evidence from province-level panel data reveals the existence and significance of intra-industry spillovers from foreign to domestic hotels in China, although the nature and magnitude vary based on different moderating factors. Domestic hotels in eastern and western China and those with alliance and limited liability ownership structures benefit significantly from productivity spillovers. Foreign-invested three-star hotels transfer a significant amount of positive productivity, whereas domestic three- and five-star hotels benefit the most from productivity spillovers. Moreover, foreign-invested hotels from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (HMT) and non-HMT countries generate positive spillovers of similar magnitudes.     

Tipping Behavior of Diners in Three Upscale Chinese Restaurants in Hong Kong

This study intends to fill a gap in the literature and explores customers' tipping behaviors in the Chinese foodservice industry. The main focus of this study is to test a model that examines the influences of “food quality”, “service quality”, “conformity”, “universalism”, “reputation”, “likelihood of return” and “overall meal satisfaction” on tip size. A survey was conducted with 611 restaurant patrons in three selected Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. The findings of this study reveal that five of these seven factors were found to be good predictors of overall satisfaction except “universalism”. However, the overall impact of these seven factors on tip amount was small. Implications of the findings were discussed and directions for future studies were included.     

A Factor−Cluster Approach to Understanding Hong Kong Hotel Employees' Symptom-management-related Coping Behavior Towards Job Stress

Job stress is widespread within the hotel industry, given its people-orientation and long working hours. This study used a factor?cluster approach to investigate how hotel employees cope with job stress. Cluster analysis identified distinct groups within the sample, and the relationships between demographic factors and coping behavior were then examined. Exploratory qualitative in-depth interviews were used to develop an instrument for measuring job stress and coping behavior, after which a survey was conducted to discover the underlying dimensions and types of those behavior. One hundred and eighty-five staff from 15 hotels in Hong Kong responded to the questionnaire. Factor analysis identified four types of coping behavior: (1) organizational initiatives, (2) sharing with people, (3) personal behavior, and (4) emotional release. Several demographic factors showed significant correlations with some of these four types of behavior. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups: (1) aggressive reactors, (2) medium reactors, and (3) mild reactors. Aggressive reactors were found to score higher than mild reactors for all types of coping behavior. However, no significant correlations were found between the demographic variables and the three clusters. The implications of the study for hotel owners and managers are discussed.     

Measuring spa-goers’ preferences: A conjoint analysis approach

The spa market has been growing tremendously in the Asia-Pacific region. Besides its growth potential in the tourism industry, spas are becoming important revenue centers for hotels and resorts. Despite the enormous growth and potential of the spa market, the preferences of spa-goers are overlooked. The aim of this research is thus to fill this gap in theory and practice by spa-goers’ preferences based on their preferred combination of spa attributes. The study is exploratory in nature and adopts a conjoint approach to analyze the preferences of the spa-goers. The findings reveal that mid-level prices, a high level of therapist qualifications, a high level of privacy, a full range of spa facilities, and branded spa products are preferred by customers. Moreover, therapist qualifications, price, and level of privacy are found to be the most important attributes in making spa bookings. Paper also examines the relative importance of different spa attributes to spa-goers of different sociodemographic backgrounds and spa visit characteristics.     

Hotel Employees' Perception of the Statutory Minimum Wage Policy in Hong Kong

Employee compensation is one of the largest expenses for businesses. Given the labor-intensive nature of the hotel industry, hotel employees' perceptions of the statutory minimum wage (SMW) policy have become a major concern for hotel operators since the introduction of the policy in Hong Kong. This exploratory study examines these perceptions, together with hotel employees' job and compensation satisfaction and intention to leave, since the introduction of the SMW policy. A survey of 161 hotel employees in Hong Kong was carried out. Respondents demonstrated high awareness of the SMW policy but viewed its effect on the hotel industry as limited. The largest gap between the perceived importance of, and satisfaction with, a factor related to job satisfaction was found for the benefits package. As well as making a contribution to the academic literature, this study provides practical implications of the SMW policy for the hotel industry in Hong Kong and other countries considering adopting a similar measure.     

Are all tourism markets equal? Linkages between market-based tourism demand,quality of life,and economic development in Hong Kong

Tourism markets are heterogeneous, and their performance and effects can be better understood when considered separately. This paper investigates the linkages between tourism demand from several markets and quality of life, using Hong Kong as a case of study. The literature has, initially only considered a unilateral relationship running from aggregate tourism development to residents' quality of life, and a bilateral connection has only recently been recognized. The study contributes to the literature by considering a market-segmented (mainland China, Japan, the U.S., and other markets) approach to tourism demand, using a relatively underemphasized objectively-based method, and by providing building blocks for theoretical propositions. The methodology consists of unit root and cointegration testing, together with the application of the Three-Stage Least Squares method with the Seemingly Unrelated Regression approach on time-series data. The identified market-based differences can help academia and industry in better understanding the diverse markets and building a competitive edge.