Editorial

Citation

Teare, R. (2007), "Editorial", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 19 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm.2007.04119gaa.001

Editorial

This issue contains articles on key success factors, internationalization, financial reporting, hospitality service operations and aspects of performance measurement.

The first two articles draw from research in restaurant chains. In the opening article, Robin DiPietro, Kevin Murphy, Manuel Rivera and Christopher Muller analyzed the job characteristics of multi-unit managers in a large casual dining restaurant organization. Their case study encompasses responses from 53 managers with eight key success factors emerging from their analysis. Second, Nan Hua and Arun Upneja set out to explore the main driving forces behind the internationalization process for publicly traded restaurant firms in the USA. They based their analysis on restaurant groups in this category who had pursued international expansion. Their study provides recommendations on the key considerations and guidelines derived from financial evidence that firms could use to assess their foreign expansion options.

The hospitality industry in China is currently in rapid expansion mode and Wilco Chan and Kevin Wong conducted focus group interviews with industry executives to explore current management information and hotel accounting practice in Chinese hotels. Using this analysis and other data, they identify the current gaps in management accounting and an array of other factors that could be addressed by their proposals for a uniform system of accounting for the hotel industry in China.

The next three articles deal with aspects of performance measurements. First, Carlos Gomes, Mahmoud Yasin and Joao Lisboa propose a systematic approach to measuring, tracking, monitoring and improving aspects of service and quality in hospitality operations. Their key measure, “service operational effectiveness” (SOE) combines three indicators (availability, quality and efficiency). Second, Inez Cruz explores the use of traditional and contemporary performance measurement techniques in a joint venture established by two partners – a global hotel chain and a Portuguese company. Using qualitative and semi-structured interviews to gather data, the author identifies ways in which local managers might broaden their knowledge and in so doing; deploy local adaptations of performance measurement practices introduced by the global partner. Third, Amit Sharma, Jeannie Sneed and Swathi Ravichandran present the findings of their spatial analysis of small hotel activity in Tanzania. The authors used educational workshops in Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Mwanza to gather demographic data and they offer a framework to guide policy, industry practices, comparative performance and benchmarking in these locations.

In the research in brief section, Carey Goh and Rob Law examine current hotel security and privacy measures and link these to advances in science and technology in order to predict the kind of improvements that are possible both now and in the future. Next, Arthur Ingram, Emily Pianu and Rita Welsh explore the issues of dyslexia and the management of learning support at two higher education providers in Scotland. They found that learning support was often ad hoc and they recommend ways in which dyslexia and disability might be supported more effectively.

Finally, John Pratten offers his third and final viewpoint on the historical development of the UK public house sector, dealing here with the changes that have taken place between 1989 and 2005.

Richard Teare