Market knowledge of the travel industry from knowledge-based view: a case of two Taiwanese travel agencies

There has been a lack of comprehensive model elaborating the key dimensions of knowledge management in the tourism field. Based on market orientation literature, market knowledge could be illustrated from consumer and competitor dimensions. However, what knowledge topics are in these two dimensions (e.g. knowledge depth) or do any dimensions of market knowledge exist (e.g. knowledge breadth)? These questions can be clearly answered. Drawing on knowledge-based view of firms, this study explores market knowledge from four characteristics: depth, breadth, tacitness, and specificity. It seeks to contribute to the existing literature through a series of semi-structured interviews and behavioral observation with senior managers of Taiwan’s leading travel agencies. Four market knowledge categories emerge: customer knowledge, employee knowledge, competitor knowledge, and partner knowledge. It is suggested that high levels exist as to the importance of knowledge acquisition, classification, dissemination, and usage, and this represents a significant change over past findings.     

The causality examination between demand uncertainty and hotel failure: A case study of international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The hotel business is highly sensitive to economic cycles, as the industry faces high frequency and high fluctuation of uncertainty over the demand for lodging services. Without a thorough consideration on the issue, hotels may undergo a business crisis. This research therefore investigates the influence of demand uncertainty on hotel failure by using the operation data of international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 1995–2008. The analysis applies two stages of estimation. The first stage employs a first-order autoregressive model, AR(1), to model lodging demand uncertainty. The second stage estimates the likelihood of hotels’ failure by using a logit model. The results are supportive to determine that the demand uncertainty causes hotel failures.     

When I put on my service mask: Determinants and outcomes of emotional labor among hotel service providers according to affective event theory

This article develops and tests a model of emotional labor in the hotel industry using affective event theory. A multiple-wave longitudinal analysis using data from 424 hotel service employees and their immediate supervisors reveals how work contexts (supervisory support) affect work events (interactional justice), and thereby influence the affective (negative emotions), attitudinal (job satisfaction), and behavioral (emotional labor, service quality, and voluntary turnover) reactions of hotel service employees. The results show that (1) supervisory support relates positively to supervisory interactional justice; (2) supervisory interactional justice is negatively associated with negative emotions; (3) negative emotions relate positively to surface acting and negatively to deep acting; (4) surface acting leads to lower job satisfaction, whereas deep acting leads to higher job satisfaction; and (5) job satisfaction leads to higher service quality and lower turnover. The implications suggest important recommendations for hotel managers.     

The motivations and expectations of international volunteer tourists: A case study of “Chinese Village Traditions”

International volunteer tourists devote not only financial support but also time and effort to conservation, preservation, or humanitarian projects outside their original countries. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a qualitative study on the motivations of ten international volunteer tourists who joined the “Chinese Village Traditions” expedition of the Earthwatch Institute in the summer of 2008. The main research question was, “Why do people join international volunteer tourism trips?” Eleven themes dealing with motivations emerged and were categorized into three groups: personal, interpersonal, and other. Four personal factors were measured: authentic experience, interest in travel, challenge/stimulation, and other interest. Four interpersonal factors were also considered: desire to help, interaction with locals/cultures, encouraged by others, and enhancing relationships. Other factors included unique style of the trip, time/money, and organization goal. The findings of this study echo previous literature reviews in different settings.     

The search for the best deal: How hotel cancellation policies affect the search and booking decisions of deal-seeking customers

This study examined cancellation policies and their role in shaping travelers’ deal-seeking behavior, exploring the impact of cancellation fees and deadlines on three, mutually exclusive, customers’ hotel booking behavior categories: “Book”, “Book and Search”, and “Search”. 291 subjects, who participated in a week long online “booking game”, attempted to book a room in a virtual hotel and get the best deal. The results were tested using small sample t-test for comparing proportions between two independent populations, non-parametric multiple pairwise comparisons, and multinomial logit regression models. The findings indicate that the cancellation deadline affected participants’ behavior while the size of the cancellation fee had no statistically significant impact. In addition, there was no significant difference between lenient cancellation deadline and no cancellation policy.     

Empowerment in hospitality organizations: Customer orientation and organizational support

Although empowering employees has often been prescribed as an efficient strategy for hospitality organizations, the strategy alone cannot ensure success. Individual and organizational factors should be considered to increase employees’ perception of empowerment. This study examines the impact of employees’ customer orientation and organizational factors on the employee empowerment perceptions. Our findings, based on a survey of 203 guest contact employees, suggest that organizations should hire customer oriented people, guide them with service training, provide a reward system, and facilitate service standards communication in order to increase perceived empowerment. Implications of these findings for hospitality service managers are discussed.     

石灰(石)湿法脱硫副产物综合利用途径

分析了石灰石湿法脱硫副产物的主要成分，探讨了其副产物的综合利用途径，并为废物资源化提供了广泛的空间。     

债务重组业务的合并抵销

<正>一、以现金资产清偿债务的合并抵销处理对于债务重组,在编制合并报表时,由于是把整个集团视为一个会计主体,所以,从集团角度看,集团内部以现金清偿债务的债务重组属于集团内部的资金划     

统合管理的再思考

本文从分割管理弊端与统合管理优势的比较研究中,创造性地提出了统合管理的新概念和主要论点,首次对统合管理的实施要点进行了设计。     

A Research of Karl Marx's Value Formation Theory

马克思价值形成理论的缺陷是活劳动范畴的非历史性.马克思完成从本质上认识活劳动如何形成价值时,活劳动范畴达到了思维的抽象便停止了,没有把活劳动从抽象再上升到具体,这就造成了马克思价值形成理论缺乏能够与现实的具体相对应的关于活劳动的思维的具体,解释停留在本质上而对现实缺乏解释力.创立马克思价值形成理论的第四个原理,即劳动价值形成方式原理,将活劳动从抽象上升到具体,揭示活劳动的历史性,用以从形式上说明活劳动如何形成价值.