Determination of Significant Issues

Abstract

Assuring quality depends on the quality of information obtained in measurement efforts. One assessment technique that has been used in a variety of applications is importance-performance analysis (IPA). The final analysis of any traditional IPA is based on a subjective placement of classification dividers. As such, any recommendation from the use of traditional importance-performance analysis is subject to this often overlooked limitation. This research utilizes new developments concerning the components of IPA to present a quantitative method to analyze importance-performance data. Hypothetical data is presented to illustrate the method and results are discussed.     

Distinguishing the Destination Choices of Pleasure Travelers from Taiwan

Abstract

This study examined whether the destination choices of Taiwanese outbound travelers could be differentiated by their so-ciodemographics, travel characteristics, and benefits pursued. Using discriminant analysis, the results revealed that the choice of outside of Asia-Pacific region destinations was positively related to income level, education background, length of trip, party size, trip expenditure, inclusive package, and the benefit of ‘Value and Lifestyle’ of a Taiwanese traveler. ‘Safety Net,’ ‘Cost and Experience,’ and ‘Budget Travel’ were benefits pursued by within-Asia travelers. These findings can assist travel and tourism related organizations in developing marketing programs.     

Employee Relation Programs and Hotel Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of employee relations programs (ERP) on organizational performance in the lodging industry. ERP provides employees with opportunities to participate in planning and improving work-related tasks. Four items were used to measure employee relations: formal complaint-resolution programs, participation programs, attitude surveys, and suggestion systems. Further, three types of organizational performance measures, namely employee turnover, labor productivity, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) were used. Findings indicated that ERP led to higher labor productivity and RevPAR.     

Toward a Definition of Entry-Level Job Competencies

ABSTRACT

This article reports the findings of a study conducted in the central Florida metropolitan statistical area (MSA) to determine practising managers' perceptions of expected entry-level hospitality worker competencies. Preliminary phases of the study yielded the construction of an instrument used to determine the importance of certain knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes of newly hired workers. The information provided by the respondents is used to draw conclusions and provide implications for a more comprehensive understanding of hospitality worker competencies. Finally, the article considers future investigations in the areas of composite employee profiles, motivational preferences, and benchmarking.     

Cross-Cultural Impact and Learning Needs for Expatriate Hotel Employees in Taiwan Lodging Industry

Abstract

This study investigated specific cross-cultural issues affecting expatriate hotel employees in Taiwan's lodging industry to determine if Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) might help expatriate hotel employees adjust to a new culture and a new business environment. The most formidable task in the human resource area facing many global firms is the development of a cadre of employees and executives who have a deep understanding of the global market environment and the capability to transfer this knowledge into determined action (Pucik, Tichy, & Barnet, 1992). Employees who are expatriates in the hospitality industry are now more important than ever, as more hotel chains are seeking expansion opportunities into overseas markets. However, individuals who are sent overseas without adequate training often fail, and there are significant costs associated with this failure (Li, 1995).

The purpose of CCT is to increase the probability of an individual's adjustment into another culture (Cushner & Brislin, 1995). However, CCT could still be a valuable tool to help expatriates cope with culture shock even though the importance of expatriates being involved in CCT might not be as important as generally thought. Considering the cost, there may be other alternatives to facilitate expatriate adjustment. There does exist an inevitable trend of globalization. Developing coordination, training, and acculturation takes time, effort, and money. Clearly more research is warranted relative to expatriation in the hospitality industry.     

Predicting Korean lodging firm failures: An artificial neural network model along with a logistic regression model

Using financial variables as predictors, this study developed logistic regression and artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict business failures for Korean lodging firms. While both models demonstrated comparable Type I errors, the ANN model showed considerably lower Type II errors for both in-sample and hold-out sample predictions. This study also found that interest coverage is the most important signal of business failure for the Korean hotel industry. This ratio is directly related to the hotel's solvency, ability to service debts and productivity of profits and can thus be regarded as a survival indicator of Korean hotel firms.     

基于图像和光谱技术的倒伏冬小麦产量评估研究

倒伏作物产量评估是作物倒伏灾害综合评估中的一项重要指标.针对传统倒伏作物产量评估方法的不足,该文提出了一种基于图像处理技术和光谱分析技术的倒伏冬小麦估产方法.研究首先通过冬小麦倒伏模拟试验,人工造成冬小麦倒伏,采集不同倒伏等级冬小麦RGB图像数据、冠层光谱反射率数据,并测量倒伏冬小麦产量.然后,通过RGB图像获得颜色、纹理特征,通过光谱反射率获得光谱吸收、红边和植被指数特征,取与倒伏冬小麦产量最为相关的23个特征量作为产量预测模型的输入变量.最后,使用粒子群算法优化径向基权值并建立估产模型,通过三个倒伏时期的光谱和图像指标估算倒伏冬小麦产量.结果表明,模型估算精度为98.2％,该模型能满足非接触定量化的倒伏冬小麦产量评估需求.     

Credit Fluctuations and Lodging Firms: An Investigation of the Differing Capital Structures in the U.S. Lodging Industry

In the area of corporate finance, decisions regarding the constituents of overall capital structure are the most critical. These financing decisions are even more critical to lodging firms because of the unique nature of the industry. This study empirically investigates the effect of credit availability on the leverage of the lodging industry in the U.S. using multivariate analysis of variance. Three time points of differing credit availability (low, high, and average) were identified using the Case-Shiller home price index. Leverage, net leverage, and short-to-long-term debt ratios of large and small U.S. lodging firms were analyzed at these differing credit availability time points to assess any significant differences. Significant effects of credit availability were found on the leverage and net leverage of lodging firms, but no significant effect was found on the short- to long-term debt ratio of U.S. lodging firms. Interestingly, the leverage levels were found to be highest at the average availability of credit than when compared to the high and low availability of credit.     

Towards a Model of Electronic Word-of-Mouth and Its Impact on the Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT

Scholars and practitioners recognize that spreading word-of-mouth can play an important role in the formation of a hotel’s image. However, the relationships among various measures of online customer engagement are relatively unknown. The present study analyzes the relationships and quantifies the impacts of various measures of online engagement including the number of online reviews, overall rating, and relative ranking. The researchers used path analysis on a sample of 178 hotels to study the relationships among relevant variables and build a model to explain the impact of such measures (Figure 2). The results reveal there is a positive direct effect of the number of reviews on a hotel’s TripAdvisor rating. A negative direct effect was found between TripAdvisor rating and a hotel’s comparative ranking. Finally, the researchers discovered that TripAdvisor rating fully mediates the relationship between the number of reviews and a hotel’s comparative ranking. This article concludes with a discussion of both the theoretical and practical implications of such findings.