Michael Pittman, Sangwon (Sean) Jung and Susan Elizabeth Gordon
This study aims to examine the sequential effects of work–personal conflict (WPC) and work environment (WE) on turnover intention (TI) with a focus on generational differences in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the sequential effects of work–personal conflict (WPC) and work environment (WE) on turnover intention (TI) with a focus on generational differences in the restaurant context.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the two-model approach, this study uses a moderated mediation analysis based on developed scenarios for survey questionnaires completion by participants.
Findings
The results found that WE and personal–work conflict each have a unique sequential effect on TI. However, younger generations perceived external conflicts to affect their personal lives more than older generations. For older generations, external conflict affecting personal life had caused higher intentions to quit their jobs.
Originality/value
The study provides the unique contribution of studying the sequential effects of WPC and WE on TI. Furthermore, this study helps to fill the gap of generational research by testing generational perceptions of these relationships.
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Phillip M. Jolly, Susan E. Gordon and Timothy T. Self
The restaurant industry is characterized by long hours, intense job demands and a lack of work-life balance. While a growing body of research has investigated methods for…
Abstract
Purpose
The restaurant industry is characterized by long hours, intense job demands and a lack of work-life balance. While a growing body of research has investigated methods for decreasing role conflict-related stress and strain in foodservice and hospitality employees, there is still little understanding of what supervisors can do to decrease work-life-related employee strain. This study aims to investigate how family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) influence employee emotional exhaustion (EE) and subsequent turnover intentions, as well as the role of gender in moderating these effects.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey-based design using a national panel of 226 foodservice employees was used to investigate the hypotheses developed in this paper.
Findings
Results indicated that FSSB decreased employee EE and subsequent turnover intentions. The authors also found that this relationship was stronger for female employees.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides insight into the role that employee gender may play in response to the perception of and reactions to FSSB. Women still shoulder a majority of home and non-work caring duties, and therefore, they may be more positively affected when supervisors engage in behaviors that allow for balancing work and non-work demands.
Originality/value
There is little hospitality or foodservice-focused research into the effects of FSSB, and little overall research that investigates the role that gender may play in shaping the beneficial effects of FSSB. Given that women make up a majority of foodservice employees in the USA, yet there is a lack of female representation at higher levels of organizations, the study provides insights into ways in which organizations and supervisors can improve female employees’ working experiences and potentially increase their retention.
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Xiaolin (Crystal) Shi, Xiaoting Huang, Zimeng Guo and Susan Elizabeth Gordon
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of employees’ trait rumination on the variability of their state rumination and the continuing influence on their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of employees’ trait rumination on the variability of their state rumination and the continuing influence on their negative affect at home.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lagged experience sampling method was used for the data collection from full-time employees in the hotel industry. The hypotheses were tested with multilevel modeling using a random coefficient modeling approach.
Findings
Hotel employees who are high in trait rumination generally show high levels of state rumination and greater within-person variability in state rumination over time. Additionally, the negative effects of workplace state rumination can last until employees come home and the next day before going to work. Furthermore, employees who are high in trait rumination are more likely to be influenced by state rumination, as they experience more negative affect after arriving home.
Practical implications
Rumination has been shown to decrease hotel employee overall well-being. The findings of this study provide suggestions for remedial measures that can be taken by hotel organizations to help employees address ruminative thinking.
Originality/value
Drawing on response styles and work/family border theories, this study contributes to the rumination literature by considering both trait rumination and state rumination in a broader context. For a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic temporal characteristics of state rumination, this study considers the net intraindividual variability of state rumination as the outcome of trait rumination.
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Nataly Suarez, Katerina Berezina, Wan Yang and Susan Gordon
The purpose of this study is to explain the impact of innovation characteristics (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity and perceived risk) and individual differences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explain the impact of innovation characteristics (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity and perceived risk) and individual differences (inertia, technology anxiety, need for interaction and previous experience) on customer intentions to adopt tablet-based menus in various restaurants settings.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental design was used in this study to explore tablet-based menu acceptance intentions across three restaurant settings: quick-service, midscale and upscale. A total of 415 participants were randomly assigned to one of the three scenarios describing a dining experience. Each scenario placed participants in a restaurant setting where a tablet-based menu was a part of the guests’ dining experience.
Findings
The study results indicated that out of the four innovation characteristics, compatibility and relative advantage are strong predictors of adoption intention of tablet-based menus. Among customer individual differences, technology anxiety and need for interaction were not found to have a statistically significant impact on intentions to adopt tablet-based menus. It was also found that customers dining at quick-service and midscale restaurants are more likely to adopt tablet-based menus than customers dining at upscale restaurants.
Practical implications
Managers in quick-service and midscale restaurants may consider investing in tablet-based menus, as customers of these restaurant types demonstrate higher adoption intentions compared to the customers of upscale dining establishments. The results of this study suggest that upscale restaurants should plan carefully before switching to table-based menus.
Originality/value
The findings of this study may assist restaurant managers in recognizing the importance of customer acceptance of new technologies such as tablet-based menus, which will lead to informed decisions about implementing tablet-based menus in their establishments.
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Timothy T. Self, Susan Gordon and Phillip M. Jolly
This study aims to examine how hospitality human resource (HR) professionals assess talent when recruiting college students, how MIT programs are structured and how recruiters…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how hospitality human resource (HR) professionals assess talent when recruiting college students, how MIT programs are structured and how recruiters perceive GenZ compared to Millennials.
Design/methodology/approach
A Delphi approach was used to collect the opinions of experts in the area of hospitality recruiting and talent development.
Findings
Results showed integrity and strong work ethic are top descriptors to define talent, and prior performance and soft skills are top items assessed when hiring talent. The participants view GenZ as desiring work-life balance, tech savvy, interested in social responsibility, more accepting of differences, wanting higher salaries and more tech savvy than Millennials.
Practical implications
Recruiters highly value prior work experience so students should be encouraged to pursue internships with companies they are interested in working for upon graduation. Providing mock interviews and networking events can help students better their soft skills. Organizations using MIT programs should use realistic job previews in the selection process and make regular coaching and mentoring a key part of the program. Hospitality organizations should place emphasis on GenZ’s quest for work-life balance and find ways to take advantage of their technology savviness.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to understand how hospitality organizations’ MIT programs are structured. It is one of the few to examine how talent is defined and assessed by hospitality HR professionals and compare HR professionals’ perceptions of GenZ versus Millennials.
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Susan Gordon, Chun-Hung (Hugo) Tang, Jonathon Day and Howard Adler
This paper aims to examine whether employee subjective well-being acts as a mediator in the relationship between perceived supervisor support and turnover intention within the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether employee subjective well-being acts as a mediator in the relationship between perceived supervisor support and turnover intention within the context of select-service hotels.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample included hourly employees in select-service hotels in the Midwest USA. The significance of the relationships was assessed using regression, and both the Sobel test and bootstrapping methods were performed to test the mediating effect of subjective well-being on the relationship between perceived supervisor support and turnover intention.
Findings
The results confirm subjective well-being acted as a partial mediator in the relationship between supervisor support and turnover intention. Employees who perceive higher levels of support from their supervisors are less likely to leave their organizations. At the same time, supervisor support also positively affects subjective well-being, which reduces turnover intention.
Practical implications
Actions by supervisors’ impact the well-being of their employees, which in turn may influence whether an employee stays with the organization. Organizations could use management training and employee feedback on supervisor support to improve employee support mechanisms. Organizations should also pay attention to improving employee subjective well-being beyond the work place. Improving the well-being of employees and supporting employees can help reduce turnover and may increase employee satisfaction, guest satisfaction and profits.
Originality/value
This study is the first to show that subjective well-being mediates the relationship between supervisor support and turnover intention; and one of the few within the hospitality context to examine the constructs of subjective well-being, supervisor support and turnover together.
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Xiaolin Shi, Jonathon Day, Susan Gordon, Liping Cai and Howard Adler
The purpose of this paper is to examine visitors’ motivations for going to the South Luogu Alley, a famous hutong with an over 700-year history in Beijing, China.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine visitors’ motivations for going to the South Luogu Alley, a famous hutong with an over 700-year history in Beijing, China.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applied a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from visitors on the main street of the South Luogu Alley.
Findings
It was found that most visitors of the hutong are casual tourists pursuing relaxation, including tension release and spending time with friends and family; seeking authenticity is not visitors’ most important motivation.
Research limitations/implications
This study used only one hutong to assess visitors’ motivations in hutong tourism, so the results may not be applicable to all hutongs.
Practical implications
The research on the demographics and different motivations of the South Luogu Alley visitors can be useful to managers of tourism-related organizations.
Social implications
This study shows that tourists with different motivations for visiting a hutong have varying requirements for authenticity. The reconstruction of some historical hutongs is not always perceived as negative, and the influence of Western cultural elements can be seen as positive if they contribute to the sustainable development of the local culture.
Originality/value
The term “hutonger,” which includes casual visitors, entertainment seekers, authenticity seekers and pure escapees, based on these respective motivations, is introduced to describe the specific groups of hutong visitors and contribute to the hutong tourism literature.
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Stephen Carbone, Gordon Arthur Walker, Susan Burney and Fiona Newton
Testicular cancer affects approximately 550 men in Australia each year. Early intervention, with the potential to reduce the burden of this serious disease, requires a strong…
Abstract
Testicular cancer affects approximately 550 men in Australia each year. Early intervention, with the potential to reduce the burden of this serious disease, requires a strong understanding of the factors that influence help‐seeking. In the current qualitative retrospective study, the symptom‐recognition and help‐seeking experiences of 11 men aged between 28‐44 years who had undergone treatment for testicular cancer were examined. Analysis of the semistructured telephone interview data indicated that most men sought help early, and were treated promptly. A few men, however, described prolonged help‐seeking delays. The factors implicated in help‐seeking delays included lack of knowledge about testicular cancer; initial misattribution of symptoms; slowly progressing or low‐severity symptoms; a busy lifestyle; embarrassment about having a genital examination; and a fear of orchidectomy and its potential threat to masculinity. Further research using quantitative methodology is required to determine the relative importance of these various factors on help‐seeking delays.
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Rita Marcella, Susan Parker and Graeme Baxter
This article outlines the details of a British Library Research and Development Department funded project on the provision of European Union information in public libraries in the…
Abstract
This article outlines the details of a British Library Research and Development Department funded project on the provision of European Union information in public libraries in the UK. It explains how European Union information is currently being provided to the public in the EU Public Information Relay and emphasises the issues involved in providing European Union information electronically.
Anthony Troman, Neil Jacobs and Susan Copeland
The paper aims to describe recent moves to establish a UK electronic thesis service. The existing arrangements for access to UK doctoral theses are not seen as ideal or…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to describe recent moves to establish a UK electronic thesis service. The existing arrangements for access to UK doctoral theses are not seen as ideal or sustainable. A range of stakeholders have come together in recent years to invest in an alternative. The resulting service model is one that is relevant to higher education across the UK and beyond.
Design/methodology/approach
The EThOS service model is a partnership between the British Library as the service provider and UK universities, and includes technical, legal, business and operational aspects. It has been achieved by a series of development projects undertaken since 2002, culminating now in the impending transition from prototype to live service.
Findings
The EThOS service model includes a range of partnership options to suit the varied requirements of UK higher education institutions. The main ambition of the model is to make electronic theses available open access via a financially viable and sustainable model. The core of the model is a “central hub”, offering discovery, digitisation and preservation functions, working with institutions, in part via their institutional repositories.
Practical implications
It is hoped that most UK higher education institutions will sign up for EThOS and benefit from this shift to both electronic theses and open access. Many have already indicated that they will do so.
Originality/value
The value of the EThOS service is likely to be considerable. Where theses are available open access, their use escalates. EThOS will enable UK theses to be more widely accessed, read, used and cited worldwide. Authors, institutions and the UK all benefit from this.