bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of the Amount and Type of Corruption in State Fiscal Bureaucracies
Authors: KISER EDGAR , TONG XIAOXI
Published: March 2007

A principal-agent model of relations between rulers and state officials is used to derive several propositions concerning the amount and type of corruption in state bureaucracies. The model is applied to the fiscal bureaucracies of Ming and Qing China, focusing on how problems rulers faced measuring taxable assets and monitoring and sanctioning state tax collectors resulted in a high level of corruption. Attempts by Ming and Qing rulers to reform their fiscal systems are analyzed, and the causes of the general failure of these reforms and of regional variations in reform success are discussed.
Tough Times in Review
Authors: BASHEVKIN SYLVIA
Published: March 2007

Comparative research on social movements has focused increasingly on questions of group success, yet the question of how specific movements and regimes interact has not been widely explored in this literature. This article examines the intersection of conservative and feminist politics in the United Kingdom during the period between Margaret Thatcher's first majority election in 1979 and her resignation as Conservative Party leader in 1990. Using data on legislative and judicial decisions as well as interview materials, it examines how the British women's movement fared during the Thatcher years and compares movement efforts in the United Kingdom with those in the United States and Canada during the same period.
An Overview of the Political Regime Change Dataset
Authors: GASIOROWSKI MARK J.
Published: March 2007

This article describes the conceptual foundations and coding procedures used in developing the Political Regime Change Dataset. This dataset identifies the dates of transition among democratic, semidemocratic, authoritarian, and transitional regimes in the 97 largest Third World countries, covering periods beginning with the date at which each country became independent or established a modern state and continuing through 1992. These transition dates can be used to generate time series indicating which of these types of regime existed in each country at any given time during the periods covered by the dataset. This article gives the distribution of regime changes across time and geographical regions and compares the Political Regime Change Dataset with several other widely used measures of regimes. A complete listing of the data is included in the appendix.
Democracy and Religious Politics
Authors: KALYVAS STATHIS N.
Published: March 2007

This article questions a widely shared assumption that posits the incompatibility of religious politics and democracy. Using evidence from an analytically significant case, Belgium, it explores the political and institutional conditions under which religiously motivated aliberal political actors integrate successfully into democratic institutions. The interaction of three factors is shown to be crucial: a political shift affecting the religious actor negatively, the existence of competitive institutions, and a centralized religious structure. The main theoretical implication is that democratic consolidation can be the contingent outcome of self-interested political strategy rather than the result of the pursuit of normative principles. The article underlines the institutional and political context in which religious movements are embedded (as opposed to their political theologies) and the centrality of agency and strategic calculation. It advocates placing the study of religion and politics in a more broad theoretical perspective and the study of democratization in a wider historical context.
Institutions and Post-Modernity in IR
Authors: NØRGAARD ASBJØRN SONNE
Published: March 2007

The state system and global capitalism are the two dominant institutional pillars of modernity in the international realm. These institutional structures, however, are the outcome of a contingent and historical process. New problems, perceptions and demands could pave the way for new ways of configuring political and economic space, and hence new political and economic organizational forms. Post-modernists are particularly attentive to the increasing plurality and fragmentation of identities and collective organization. But they are conspicuously silent about the institutionalization of these new forces and identities. The relation between power and domination on the one hand and institutions on the other is largely ignored. The article discusses the dynamics which might lead to new institutionalizations of international space. A typology of modern and post-modern institutional forms is developed. A more plural and fragmented post-modern international order in which the state will cease being the privileged centre of authority, it is argued, is an apt scenario for the future. The EC is one prominent example of this trend.
New Forms of Governance in Europe?
Authors: MATLÁRY JANNE HAALAND
Published: March 2007

This article takes its point of departure in an empirical analysis of the decline of the state as the major political ordering principle in Europe, with the aim of discussing norms of democratic legitimacy for polities beyond the nation-state. To this end, the genesis of plebiscitarian democratic norms is recounted, emphasizing the replacement of the natural law tradition with utilitarian justifications of individual rights. The decline of natural law meant a decline of universal or international norms, and a concomitant confining of democratic legitimation to the nation-state. In today's Europe, the empirical decline of the state entails a need for redesigning democratic institutions. The central concept here is subsidiarity, which is now the official political ordering principle of the European Union.
Ethnic Communality and Conflict Resolution
Authors: VÄYRYNEN TARJA
Published: March 2007

Ethnicity is defined as a way of typifying the world, and as such it is a way to form a community. Ethnic conflicts, however, are characterized by the emphasis on ethnic criteria as a foundation for communality, by closed off ethnic narratives as well as by the practices of ethnocraft through which a coherent identity of the ethnic group is maintained. Conflict resolution in dialogic communities offers a means of dealing with these, because the dialogic community brings about a constructive shared search for knowledge of the conflict in question through conversation. Furthermore, conflict resolution in dialogic communities with the help of the third party provides a means to get involved in projecting and imagining alternative communities, new ways to unite with people.
Interpreting the ADA and Civil Rights Law
Authors: Sherwyn David , Eigen Zev J. , Klausner Adam A.
Published: March 2007

Five cases decided by the Supreme Court in 1999 carry mixed messages, but on balance they argue for extreme care in hiring decisions relating to individuals with disabilities. Three cases involved hiring practices under the Americans with Disabilities Act, while another involved civil-rights law, and the fifth examined Social Security-related disability. In the three ADA cases, the court held that conditions such as poor vision and high blood pressure are not disabilities under the ADA if they are treatable. In two cases, individuals with disabilities could not be employed in their desired position due to federal regulations. Still, those individuals were not considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act because when their conditions were corrected they still could qualify for some jobs in their chosen field, just not the job in question. Even an employer-imposed regulation withstood a court challenge under the same logic. That does not mean, however, that future employers can make all such hiring decisions with impunity. Instead, there is a gap in the cases that could make the holding moot for most private employers. An unrelated case opened the door to punitive damages in cases where employers are found to be in violation of discrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act. The situations in which punitive damages are not to be considered are so few that most employers will have to redouble their efforts to comply with the law. Finally, a fifth case, also connected to the ADA, determined that a finding of total disability by the Social Security Administration, for the purposes of granting disability insurance, does not necessarily equate to a finding that a person is not qualified to work under the provisions of the ADA. The two determinations are to be made separately according to the regulations governing each.
A Labor-Management Partnership
Authors: Korshak Stuart R.
Published: March 2007

After many years of difficult relations and counterproductive arbitrations, San Francisco's major hotels and their union, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 2, embarked in 1994 on a new partnership-oriented approach. Under a document called a "living contract," the two parties created a mechanism for making work-rule changes by mutual agreement during the term of the contract. The living contract called for labor and management to constitute study teams that would examine the issues underlying problems that would otherwise have resulted in disputes between the hotels and the union. The study teams proposed solutions that would be mutually beneficial for both parties-and avoided expensive, often pointless arbitration. As an example, the study teams solved a particularly nettlesome problem by redesigning the work rules governing hotels' restaurants to be competitive with nonunion operations. One impetus for the living contract was the success of those nonunion hotels, which meant a loss of business for union hotels and, ultimately, a loss of jobs for the union members. The first five-year living contract was so successful that HERE Local 2 and the hotels renewed it in 1999.
Hospitality-management Competencies
Authors: Kay Christine , Russette John
Published: March 2007

This study identified the hospitality-management competencies considered essential for success in today's F&B, front-desk, and sales departments, and the degree to which those skills and talents are actually used by entry-and mid-level managers. Specifically, it recorded three types of essential competencies (ECs): those that are necessary for any of the six job positions studied, those that are necessary for more than one job position but not all of them, and those that are used only by a specific type of manager doing a specific job (e.g., a mid-level F&B manager). The skills identified as essential for all the managers studied included: recognizing customer problems; portraying enthusiasm; maintaining professional and ethical standards; cultivating a climate of trust; and adapting creatively to change. By contrast, the skills that were among those identified with a single job description included: managing individual employee performance; setting goals to carry out the organization's mission and objectives; knowing about selling techniques; and mastering forecasting reports. When asked whether the ECs are actually being used effectively, managers' superiors generally reported that the managers were performing adequately in each competency and domain area.
Professional-development Needs in Ital
Authors: Formica Sandro , McCleary Ken
Published: March 2007

This study reports on the perceived importance of the professional needs of the Italian hotel industry's managing owners (MOs) and general managers (GMs). A survey was used to (1) determine the hotel-management skills that need improvement, (2) assess which of those skill areas can be improved through training, and (3) identify the specific training courses that are actually of interest to those managers. When asked which of their professional skills needed the most improvement, the MO and GM groups both cited marketing and human-resources expertise, followed by financial and administrative-management knowledge. Moreover, more than 80 percent of the MOs and GMs considered human resources and marketing the most useful skill areas that could actually be taught in professional-development courses. A series of open-ended questions also revealed the managers' perceived shortcomings regarding employee relations-in particular, recruitment, selection, training, and motivation. When asked about which courses they might actually attend, managing customer satisfaction was ranked first followed by publicity and promotion. Leadership and motivation came in third, followed by strategic marketing and maximizing hotel sales. As for a training program's cost, GMs are willing to spend more money than are the MOs. GMs prefer that training take place on weekdays while the MOs preferred weekend programs.
Airport-restaurant Service Quality in Hong Kong
Authors: Heung Vincent C. S. , Wong M.Y. , Hailin Qu
Published: March 2007

By meeting travelers' service-quality expectations, airport restaurants can gain a competitive advantage.
Marketing-channel Relationships
Authors: Karamustafa Kurtulus
Published: March 2007

Turkey's national policy of expanding the number of hotel rooms nationwide over the past two decades has been successful in increasing supply, but at a cost. The government offered strong incentives for entrepreneurs to open hotels on the nation's Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. Many of the hotels that opened as a result, particularly those in low-price tiers, offer repetitive concepts and are not professionally managed. As a consequence, Turkey's resort operators rely heavily on international packagetour operators to fill their rooms. What has turned into an oversupply of rooms gives the tour operators market power over the lodging operators, forcing the latter into price competition. To compensate for their lack of income, the lodging operators offer minimal services (or are unable to offer good service). A particular challenge to the hoteliers is the tour operators' practice of changing bookings at the last minute, which causes lodging operators with unused capacity to accept low rates for otherwise empty rooms. While Turkey's lodging entrepreneurs probably cannot change the external factors that force them to accept low prices, they could address their internal problems of lack of cooperation and poor management skills.
Investigating the Relationhip between Employee Satisfaction and Guest Satisfaction
Authors: Spinelli Michael A. , Canavos George C.
Published: March 2007

A study of six metropolitan, full-service hotels (involving 600 guests and 240 employees) found a statistical connection between employee satisfaction and guest satisfaction. Regarding employees' satisfaction, the data indicated that monetary factors can be dissatisfiers. The surest way to build employee satisfaction is to let employees know that their efforts are appreciated; that they can participate in decision making; and that they observe all employees working enthusiastically together to provide excellent service. Guests responded favorably to personable staff members who are quick and competent. Cleanliness of the room ranked high, while guests reported being most dissatisfied with the hotels' food quality and value.
Increasing the Effectiveness of Hotels' Investments
Authors: Chow Chee W. , Wright Penny L. , Haddad Kamal H.
Published: March 2007

This article suggests ways to enhance the effectiveness of hotels' investments in special projects and new initiatives. Specifically, the article (1) reviews research findings that show managers across many industries often continue, or even increase, resource allocation to unprofitable courses of action; (2) reports the results of a case study with managers suggesting that this tendency may also be extensive in the hotel industry; (3) itemizes by relative importance 15 causal factors of escalation (e.g., managers' personal gain, inadequate accountability), and (4) suggests several ways for hotel managers to control the occurrence of suboptimal actions (e.g., using teams or consultants to evaluate projects).
The Execution and Measurement of a Marketing Program
Authors: Yesawich Peter C.
Published: March 2007

The execution of a marketing program requires considerable creativity, but, as Madison Avenue practitioners are now fond of remarking —after a few sobering experiences with highly creative campaigns that failed to translate into sales —it isn't creative unless it sells.
Stress Management for Management Stress
Authors: Brymer Robert A.
Published: March 2007

The world of hospitality managers is characterized by myriad demands and pressures—one writer has estimated, for example, that the food-service manager is called upon to make an operational decision an average of once every 48 seconds.† This examination of stress—its roots, symptoms, and control—can help you cope more effectively.
Getting the Most from Marketing Research
Authors: Lewis Robert C.
Published: March 2007

When asked how his firm derived guest profiles, the senior vice president of marketing for one national hotel chain replied, "We ask the desk clerks."

The need for more sophisticated marketing research in the hospitality industry is clear. But, with the exception of firms gathering their information only from desk clerks, most companies can get better management information even from their existing research data. This article launches a six-part series on marketing research, focusing on ways to analyze data for better marketing decisions
Guest Hisories
Authors: Dev Chekitan S. , Ellis Bernard D.
Published: March 2007

Individualized, personal attention to your guests' preferences is now possible by employing an automated guesthistory program. But such programs are only as good as the information collected and stored for future use. Unfortunately, much useful marketing data are either completely ignored or never obtained in the first place. Because guests generally answer any query posed to them, guest-history programs should be designed to capture more than just accounting-related information. Once obtained, that information must be stored long enough to be useful. Analysis of the data must use virtually every piece of information available. Present-day computer data bases make all this possible, and every employee can have access to the available information to maximize service and, in turn, can contribute new data each time a guest visits.
Are Frequent-Guest Programs Effective?
Authors: McCleary Ken W. , Weaver Pamela A.
Published: March 2007

Despite the great amount of money being spent by hotels on frequent-guest programs (FGP), only a fraction of travelers think such programs are important. And many industry experts think FGPs are counterproductive. But so long as hotels offer them, it seems at least some travelers will take advantage of them. Business travelers, in particular, are willing to pay more to earn FGP benefits. On the other hand, 50 percent of FGP members said that the absence of a program would not affect their choice of a hotel. But this means 50 percent would be affected, and may take their business elsewhere if you cancel your FGP. The size of the segment that is influenced by FGP membership makes it a risky proposition for a chain to drop its FGP unless the industry as a whole were to do so.
Frequent-Guest Programs
Authors: Toh Rex S. , Rivers, Mary-Jean , Withiam Glenn
Published: March 2007

This study shows that frequent-guest programs have little effect on most travelers' hotel choice. In fact, many travelers are unaware that such programs exist. Other travelers know about the programs but elect to ignore them. Reasons cited by this group include loss of flexibility in selecting a hotel, too few trips to earn anything of value, and unattractive awards. Still, FGPs are important to a select group of travelers. To attract these upscale travelers, the authors suggest improving the programs' appeal by offering what travelers really want-room upgrades-for fewer "points." Another program improvement would be to make awards transferable to family members and friends. Since travelers generally concentrate on one program to be able to claim their award sooner, the chain with the most attractive program will become the preferred place to lodge.
Training-Program Expectations
Authors: Durocher Joseph F. , Gooman Raymond J.
Published: March 2007

The expectations that graduates have of the industry's training programs do not necessarily match the reality of the experiences they will receive. The result is often discontented employees; others leave the industry altogether. While misunderstandings exist about length of program, hours required, and specializations to be learned, the greatest discrepancies involve such after-training expectations as raises and relocation assistance. For example, students expect a 13-percent raise after training, but only half the companies give raises (the average is about 1 0 percent). Ninety percent of the students expect relocation assistance, yet only 60 percent of the companies offer such assistance. Better communication is needed between companies and schools, and educators must encourage students to examine in detail a wide variety of opportunities before accepting their first job.
Learning Through a "Real World" Experience
Authors: Fitzgerald Michael J. , Cullen Thomas P.
Published: March 2007

What better way to teach students how businesses function than to have them create one? This approach is used at Cornell to teach an introductory "principles of management" course. At the heart of this course is the "business-group experience," whereby teams of students plan, organize, and manage actual business ventures throughout the semester. All facets of operation are the responsibility of the student managers, and the companies must be operated as if they will continue indefinitely. BGE companies are given a schedule of assignments for the semester-business plan, market research, annual report-and must work within established deadlines.
Hospitality's History
Authors: Woods Robert H.
Published: March 2007

Virtually no scholarly work has been written about the hospitality industry's history. This historiography exposes the gaps in what's available. For example, few works examine the development and growth of the industry. Most published reports are biographies, company histories, case studies, and coffee-table books. Missing are accounts of the industry's employees, the industry's customers, the demographics of both groups, and even consideration of the service interaction. Such topics as managerial, recruitment, and training practices; wage and compensation programs; benefits packages; and management succession are all unrecorded. This may be because most four-year programs focus on teaching management skills and tasks. Educators are encouraged to teach students the little picture versus the big picture; namely, how to manage on their first day on the job rather than what management has meant and could mean to the industry.
Effective Training
Authors: Haywood K. Michael
Published: March 2007

Effective training programs go beyond conveying information; they also require and then measure performance improvements that match predetermined goals
Grease-Eating Microbes
Authors: Yaffar Enrique A. , Dibner Mark D.
Published: March 2007

Grease: You can plumb it, dissolve it, or—perhaps best of all—use biological "bugs" to eat it
Strategic Alliances in the Hotel Industry
Authors: Dev Chekitan S. , Klein Saul
Published: March 2007

The hospitality industry may see an increasing use of alliances to foster growth and build market share. While an individual firm may not be able to make inroads in a given market segment by itself, a partnership with another company may make it possible for both firms to gain substantially. Alliances can come in one of three forms: short-term, opportunistic relationships that have a limited focus; medium-term, tactical relationships that have a degree of sharing; and long-term, strategic relationships that involve substantial mutual commitment. While alliances can have the disadvantages typical of any partnership, they seem like a logical method for growth in a period of limited resources.
The Legal Status of Bed-and-Breakfast Operations
Authors: Sherry John E.H.
Published: March 2007

This overview defines B&B operations and explores operators' legal rights and obligations. In general, a B&B qualifies as a private “host for hire” and not a place of public accommodation. While such an arrangement exempts B&B establishments from some federal and state civil-rights laws, local standards and conditions must still be met, and the “for hire” relationship means the host assumes more than a moral responsibility for guests' safety and welfare.
Corporate Travel-Management and Hotel-Marketing Strategies
Authors: Bell Russell A.
Published: March 2007

It's now common for company-reimbursed lodging to be from a list of approved hotels. Hotel chains that wish to take advantage of the evolving nature of corporate travel management should be prepared to centralize their administration, expand their information reporting, revise their rate-setting procedures, enhance their travel-agency relationships, forgo some yield-management revenue, overrule individual properties' authority to make deals, revamp marketing strategies, and integrate their business-travel services.
Why Innkeepers Go to Court
Authors: McConnell Jon P. , Rutherford Denney G.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews recent lawsuits involving hospitality operators and highlights the range of potential risks faced in today's litigious environment. Seven categories of issues are explored: compensation and innkeepers' lien, injury to third persons, relations with guests, regulation of innkeepers, loss and injury to property of guests, personal injury to guests, and, in instances where the innkeeper initiates litigation, defrauding the innkeeper. The best prescription for limiting liability and other legal exposure is establishing legally valid and clear policies, training and supervising employees who will implement and follow those policies, and being aware of potential risk. Cases involving employer-employee relationships are not considered in this article, as the peril to hotel operators arising from employment-related lawsuits is little different from other industries.
What's Ahead
Authors: Walker Bruce H.
Published: March 2007

Lodging-industry data from Texas, 1976-1992, reveals trends with national implications. While lodging demand overall was down from 1981 to 1987, the chain-hotel market never stopped growing while independents experienced a decline. Many consumers are buying products that represent good value and avoiding low-price and low-quality offerings, yet budget-category business will improve modestly. It is not feasible to operate an on-site restaurant with a midprice hotel-such properties are being replaced by high-quality, limited-service chains. It's worth paying the premiums to get a brand that performs; for example, suite- and courtyard-style properties generally are popular and profitable. In 1990 Marriott's hotels passed the rest of the upscales in yield and they have widened the gap since. The U.S. lodging industry is entering the most consistently positive period of occupancy and rate growth in more than 30 years.
Creating a value in Oversupplied Markets
Authors: Overstreet George A.
Published: March 2007

The hotel industry remains haunted by the room supply resulting from the 1980s building boom. Demand has recovered somewhat from the 1991 recession, but not enough to absorb the supply overhang. This mature industry, mired in overcapacity, is characterized by high exit barriers, low entry barriers, and numerous, diverse competitors. As a result the past four years have been a period of wholesale destruction of value, with many hotels selling at distressed prices. However, even under such adverse conditions, a few well-positioned players managed to achieve competitive advantage and create value. The Charlottesville, Virginia, market offers a microcosm of those conditions. Dissecting that market with an analysis of strategies shows that a differentiation strategy with careful cost containment was successful in creating value. In particular, limited-service entrants were able to sustain their competitive advantage. On the other hand, a differentiation strategy that depended on premium pricing failed to create value for three different properties. Finally, the analysis makes clear that although overhanging debt damaged value, even debt-free properties were not able to create value absent a differentiating strategy.
Gaming in the U.S.
Authors: Vallen Gary K.
Published: March 2007

This paper demonstrates how much legalized gaming has grown in the United States. It compares legalized gaming in the 50 states and assesses the changes over the past ten years. At least 35 states passed new gaming legislation during the past ten years, primarily as a way to increase state revenue without raising taxes. They were successful in passing the legislation because gambling today is considered just another form of middle-class recreation. The acceptance of gaming is due in part to the expansion of state lotteries over the past 29 years. Today 35 states provide a lottery, and that number is expected to go even higher in the coming years. Acceptance is also due in part to the proliferation of gaming centers on American Indian reservations. Solidified by the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, gambling is spreading rapidly on reservations. More than 170 of the 314 recognized tribes in the U.S. currently offer gaming. In the last four years the number of tribes providing legalized gaming has grown at a compounded average rate of 15 percent a year.
Tourism and Food Service
Authors: Elmont Stephen
Published: March 2007

The hospitality industry, particularly its food-service component, is an important sector of many nations' economies. Developing nations should take steps to encourage development of hotels and restaurants. Those steps include improving training, offering tax incentives, and clearing up questions about land ownership. By the same token, restaurant and hotel operators should seek to make the best possible use of local resources, for example, by serving locally produced foods when possible. By setting up a five-year plan for tourism development, national governments can gain the advantages of international tourism. One source of development will undoubtedly be United States-based food-service chains, which are now expanding internationally. As an example, the food-service industry is an important part of the U.S. economy and with proper assistance can become vital to other nations' economies.
Disaster Planning and Response by Tourist Business Executives
Authors: Drabek Thomas E.
Published: March 2007

Too frequently, hospitality executives begin planning for disaster after the disaster has occurred, according to this study of 185 tourist-business executives doing business in communities that had experienced a disaster-specifically, flooding in northwestern Washington and Hurricane Bob on the Atlantic Coast. Most companies' planning processes fall into one of seven patterns: top down, elite group, team development, committee, staff review, external provision, and inherited. Less than one-third of the plans were written and barely one in five was reviewed annually. Decision making during a disaster tends to be incremental-as the situation appears to worsen, more decisions are made, many of them unanticipated. A few executives had engaged in local emergency-preparedness programs. The best way to meet disaster is by planning appropriate actions, resisting denial, having a single person in charge, improving employee and customer communication, anticipating the needs of special populations, and recognizing family priorities, as well as structuring media relations.
Employer Liability fr GM's Sexual Harsment
Authors: Sherry John E. H.
Published: March 2007

In establishing sexual harassment via a "hostile work environment" as a violation of the Federal Civil Rights Act, the United States Supreme Court has acknowledged that employers must respond for the wrongful acts of managers when such acts occur within the scope of the managers' employment. In an appeal to the court, Sky Chefs argued that a general manager's acts were his own responsibility and not that of the company. The court disagreed, ruling that the degree of authority of the general manager was not an issue and that the company was responsible for the manager's persistent and unwelcome conduct.
The Family and Medical Leave Act
Authors: Wyld David C.
Published: March 2007

The provisions of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will generally affect companies employing more than 50 people. In essence, the law gives employees of covered companies the right to take 12 weeks of leave per 12-month period without pay for specific family and medical purposes. The permitted reasons for FMLA leave are the birth or adoption of a child, a personal medical condition (as certified by a physician), and caring for ill parents, spouse, or children. Individual FMLA provisions may cause complications for both employees and employers. Employees, for instance, are permitted to take intermittent leave for a given, continuing health condition. While small employers are exempt, even large employers with isolated branches may, under certain circumstances, deny FMLA leave requests. The exact interpretation of the law's complexities will undoubtedly be subject to court action in the coming years. Moreover, a federal commission is reexamining family-leave policies and may make recommendations for further revisions to FMLA.
Building a Programn for World-Class Service
Authors: Barsky Jonathan D.
Published: March 2007

A hotel or restaurant can improve its service by undertaking a step-by-step service-improvement program based on how customers view the operation. Customer input helps management determine which parts of the customer-service cycle are most in need of improvement. Once an area is chosen, a management team should set objectives and consider quality standards, if any exist, for the service cycle's cost, quality, and time. Through surveys and focus groups, customers can suggest not only service problems, but their potential solutions. Employees, too, can make similar suggestions, but their proposed solutions must address the problems identified by the customers. Another important source of ideas for improving service is other companies, including competitors, that might be willing to share their standards, or benchmarks. Drawing all these elements together, the management team can redesign service processes. The case of Hotel Sofitel North America demonstrates how these concepts work.
Restaurateurs Lighten Up?
Authors: Corsun David L. , Young Cheri A. , Enz Cathy A.
Published: March 2007

Early data regarding New York City restaurant-consumers' behavior show that, in the four months after the enactment of the city's Smoke-Free-Air Act in April 1995, many smokers dined out less often and spent less time dining when they did go out. At the same time, nonsmokers-who constitute a majority of the general population-dined out more often, making up for any lost revenue from the decreased patronage of nonsmokers. A strategy of total smoke-free dining may accommodate as much as 83.5 percent of the population (all nonsmokers and smokers willing to dine in smoke-free environments). That target market is responsible for nearly 80 percent of consumer restaurant spending. While smokers who flout the law or avoid smoke-free restaurants altogether may be the biggest spenders, they are nevertheless a small percentage of the population, accounting for nearly 2.5 times less restaurant revenue than nonsmokers.
How Mobil Stars Affect Restaurant Pricing Behavior
Authors: Cotter Michael J. , Snyder Wayne W.
Published: March 2007

The widely circulated Mobil Travel Guide rates restaurants on a scale of one to five stars. In a study spanning some two decades, the authors investigated whether changes in Mobil's ratings affected price changes in restaurants in four areas: Illinois, Massachusetts, Ontario, and Quebec. In general, restaurants that gained a Mobil star raised their prices more than those for which the rating was unchanged. An exception occurred in Ontario, where "unchanged" restaurants raised their prices in similar proportion to those that gained a star. Contrary to expectations, price changes by restaurants that lost a star were not substantially different from those that remained unchanged in the ratings, although the "demoted" restaurants raised the prices of certain menu items by a greater percentage than did unchanged restaurants. This effect was noted in all regions except Illinois, where price increases by demoted restaurants were smaller than unchanged restaurants.
Fairmont Hotels' Turnaround Strategy
Authors: Umbreit W. Terry
Published: March 2007

In 1994 a wealthy investor purchased controlling interest in Fairmont Hotels, but in 1991 there was no guarantee the five-property chain would even be in operation by 1994. The year 1991 began Fairmont's turnaround when the owners, the Swig family, hired Robert Small, most recently of Walt Disney World hotels, to run the company. Small focused on a top-line strategy of boosting occupancy and market share at the expense of average rate. He wooed travel-industry suppliers by promising performance to keep clients happy. Since corporate customers were also feeling the effects of recession, Small set rates and policies to meet their needs. To fill empty rooms in slow times he implemented price promotions for leisure travelers. To ensure that the company delivered on its promises, Small and his team restructured marketing and human-resources departments. Overhead was cut by trimming accounting and other back-office functions. The result was a steady increase in occupancy with no substantial loss in revenue per available room. Subsequent economic recovery allowed Fairmont to increase rates until it attracted the buyer's attention.
Occupational Illness in the Hospitality
Authors: Jones Thomas , Teeters Kenneth
Published: March 2007

In some cases, the poor quality of the air inside a building results in illness for the building's inhabitants. Diverse symptoms are associated with the so-called "sick-building syndrome" (SBS), including eye and throat irritations, respiratory infections, and hypersensitivity reactions. SBS is distinguished from a building-related illness (BRI), such as Legionnaires' disease, by the fact that a BRI can be traced to a specific cause. While SBS symptoms are genuine, in some cases they may be augmented by psychogenic illness, which occurs when stress induces people in a workplace to develop common physical symptoms. SBS is not always triggered by poor maintenance of heating and ventilating systems; it may be caused by the use of specific cleaning chemicals or from new furnishings or floor treatments. Regardless of the cause or nature of the symptoms, management must remedy the situation. Case studies of two Las Vegas hotel-casinos demonstrate that the issues are neither easily diagnosed nor quickly resolved.
Trade-Show Management
Authors: Poorani Ali A.
Published: March 2007

This study examines the relative amount of money firms spend on hospitality trade shows as compared to other marketing activities (such as direct mail and display advertising) and evaluates whether hospitality-industry exhibitors are maximizing the value of their trade-show participation. Six activities were identified as contributing to trade-show success (and, presumably, cost effectiveness): (1) integrating trade shows into an overall marketing plan; (2) establishing specific and quantifiable objectives for each show; (3) planning show strategies and actions far in advance; (4) promoting the company's participation to prospective customers beforehand; (5) selecting and training personnel; and (6) following up with show visitors. A survey of 200 companies found that the size of a company's trade-show budget and the existence of planned, quantifiable objectives for trade-show participation increased the show's value to the company. The key objectives of hospitality exhibitors were generating and qualifying sales leads. Such sales-related activities require advance planning and the commitment of sufficient funds to do them well. Planning for the show includes motivating potential buyers to attend the show, to visit the company booth, and to be receptive to the notion of doing business with that particular firm. As such, the booth's presentation and the information disseminated there by knowledgeable, well-trained attendants must be first-rate and, ideally, more creative than competing exhibitors.
Initial Public Offerings in the Hospitality Industry
Authors: Canina Linda
Published: March 2007

An analysis finds that initial public offerings of stock (IPOs) in hospitality companies over the past 20 years have been underpriced at a level similar to that of the overall IPO market. However, the degree of underpricing for lodging-casino firms was significantly greater than the level in the overall market, and seems to be related to the perception that investing in a lodging company entails greater risk than other kinds of businesses. The long-run performance of IPOs in the hospitality industry is better than that of IPOs in the overall market. For a holding period of one year, IPOs in the hospitality industry outperformed the benchmark Standard and Poor's 500 average.
Resort Ecotourism: A Paradigm for the 21st Century
Authors: Ayala Hana
Published: March 2007

International tourism is increasingly driven by destinations' natural and cultural resources. To combine quality with profitability, resorts in the 21 st century should be "ecoresorts." Ecoresorts will augment their guests' experiences by providing interpretation of the location and by offering guests the opportunity to participate in the destination's preservation. The quality of the destination environment, the potential for learning, and the complexity and authenticity of the experience will be important in the traveler's destination choice. The challenge for eco tourism is to enhance the tourism value of the natural and cultural resources in a way that will produce a ripple effect through local and national economies and also sustain the character of those resources. The future of resort ecotourism depends on solutions that provide for an enjoyable, authentic, and enlightening ecotourism experience despite conservation efforts that limit access to the heritage attractions.
The Brish Pub—
Authors: Williams Clare Elwood
Published: March 2007

The modern English "pub" is quite different from the traditional pub in that today's establishment is likely to be a comprehensive food-service, catering, and family-entertainment operation. In recent years pubs have diversified heavily into food (about two-thirds now offer food), have become increasingly retail-oriented, and constitute a large part of the leisure industry, offering entertainment such as music, games, indoor sports, separate restaurant areas, supervised children's playgrounds, and leisure facilities such as bowling and video games. As a result, modern English pubs have become places that women and families can patronize comfortably, and are attractive to the over-55 age group that seeks quality service and value.
Recruitment and Retention of African-American Managers
Authors: Charles Reuben O. , McCleary Ken W.
Published: March 2007

Fewer than 10 percent of the management positions in the restaurant and lodging industries are occupied by African-Americans, and of those positions that are, most are at the low and middle levels rather than at the top levels of management. This qualitative study of seven U.S. top-level African-American general managers describes the challenges, shortcomings, and opportunities involved in recruitment, retention, and promotion in today's lodging companies. Companies should promote themselves more to high-school and college students, especially through visits, internships, scholarships, and active year-round recruitment-especially at campuses with a historically black enrollment. The public image of the industry should be one of being open to black managers and as a place where merit-based promotion is possible. Mentoring systems are invaluable to newly hired black managers, more so in some geographic regions than in others. Those black managers who prove themselves effective, competent, and talented should be rewarded with fast-track career opportunities leading to GM, executive, and other top-level positions. Companies must display a willingness to attract, keep, and promote talented black managers through sincere recruitment, ample compensation and unlimited advancement opportunities.
Industrial Cuisine Revisited
Authors: Hudson Bradford T.
Published: March 2007

Industrial cuisine is a rationalized system of food production for offering customized products in a cost-effective way. Industrial cuisine combines mass customization, production decoupling, and innovative foodprocessing technologies such as sous vide. At the heart of industrial cuisine is the concept of "mass customization," which combines the positive aspects of mass production and customization by responding to individual customer needs while achieving production efficiencies that enable competitive pricing. For consumers, industrial cuisine-Which ideally also encompasses service elements-can reduce prices, increase consistency, and improve satisfaction. For restaurateurs in all industry segments, it can reduce costs, simplify production, and reduce the level of culinary expertise required at the unit level. Nevertheless, few food-service operators have embraced industrial cuisine completely. A key element is information technology, to capture and manage individual customer preferences and specifications. Other important factors are quality management, process reengineering, organizational development, and superior market research. Regarding food production, industrial cuisine requires innovative and flexible process technology (such as sous vide and robotics) and valuechain reengineering (e.g., production decoupling). In deciding whether an industrial-cuisine strategy is appropriate, a company should assess (1) the degree of customer sensitivity to customization, (2) whether the company can support a mass-customization strategy at an operational level, (3) the competitive environment, and (4) its own readiness.
Segmentaton for a Mutini Resturant Operaton
Authors: Bojanic David C. , Shea Linda J.
Published: March 2007

As new restaurants enter the market and franchise operations continue to expand, restaurant owners and managers recognize that customers can vary greatly from one geographic market to another. Market segmentation is necessary to distinguish not only between regional locations but also between specific locations within local markets. This study examines the differences among restaurant customers dining at a downtown location compared to those dining at a similar restaurant in a suburb of the same city. Differences were found in patrons' average age, discretionary in come, reasons for dining out, loyalty, advertising-vehicle effectiveness, and the relative importance of restaurants' desirable attributes as defined by customers. Downtown diners tended to be younger with lower average annual incomes than suburban diners, but often used employers' money to purchase meals. Downtown diners desire good-quality food delivered in a convenient, timely fashion, while those in the suburbs want good service and value. Suburban diners tend to be more loyal over time and, more so than downtown patrons, are likely to take advantage of advertising vehicles that offer discounts and specials.