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1 – 10 of 31Svein Larsen and Ingebjørg S. Folgerø
Explores the communication structure of a cruise company. Arguesthat communication is a key area concerning productivity and jobsatisfaction on board cruise ships. The…
Abstract
Explores the communication structure of a cruise company. Argues that communication is a key area concerning productivity and job satisfaction on board cruise ships. The Communication Climate Inventory was distributed to all employees in the company, and returned satisfactorily filled in by 236 employees. It was found that the degree of defensiveness was higher and the degree of supportiveness was lower on board ships than for the company′s land‐based operations. Interprets the results in view of organizational climate, culture and traditions. Makes suggestions concerning appropriate measures to be taken in order to improve on current communication practices.
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Svein Larsen and Trond Bastiansen
It is commonly believed that service attitudes are more positive inthe private than in the public sector of the service industry. Theproblems are addressed here. The aim of the…
Abstract
It is commonly believed that service attitudes are more positive in the private than in the public sector of the service industry. The problems are addressed here. The aim of the project was to study service attitudes in hotel and restaurant staff compared to nurses in public hospitals. An instrument for measuring service attitudes, the Service Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) was developed. This instrument aimed at measuring cognitive, emotional and behavioural aspects of service attitudes. A total of 62 respondents in the Stavanger region, Norway, completed the SAQ. The results indicated that service attitudes were more positive in the private (hotel and restaurant staff) than in the public sector (registered nurses). Hotel and restaurant staff scored higher (more positive service attitudes) on the cognitive, emotional and behavioural components of the SAQ.
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Addresses the feasibility of applying the theatre analogy in theservice industries, where terms borrowed from the stage are usedfrequently to describe guest‐customer relations and…
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Addresses the feasibility of applying the theatre analogy in the service industries, where terms borrowed from the stage are used frequently to describe guest‐customer relations and interaction. Principles from the fragments of Aristotle′s Peri Poietikes supplied the framework for a critical look at the hospitality industry in Norway. The authors concluded that, where investments with a purpose of improving customer satisfaction are planned, they are most likely to achieve results when applied to the human resources sector. On the theatre stage as well as in the service theatre, customer satisfaction is dependent on the actors and their performance.
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The scourge of terrorism has situated as one of the major risks and concerns for policy makers and authorities in the Western hemisphere. The attacks to WTC marked not only a…
Abstract
The scourge of terrorism has situated as one of the major risks and concerns for policy makers and authorities in the Western hemisphere. The attacks to WTC marked not only a first attack in the US soil but the prelude of a set of attacks perpetrated in the European urban metropolises. Over years, the classic literature punctuated on the negative impact of terrorism in the tourist destination. Recently, some voices have questioned this assumption holding that under some conditions the tourist demands recover to the earlier levels before the crisis. This chapter discusses critically not only the differentiation between risks and threats but also the different faces of terrorism. We also propose a model based on three dimensions: terrorism as a risk, terrorism as a threat and terrorism as a worry. As a conceptual model, the resulted hypotheses and ideas should be empirically validated in next layouts.
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Åge Diseth, Ståle Pallesen, Anders Hovland and Svein Larsen
The present study seeks to compare scores on factors from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) with scores on an abbreviated version of the Approaches and Study Skills…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study seeks to compare scores on factors from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) with scores on an abbreviated version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) and examination grade among undergraduate psychology students. The purpose is to investigate the relationship between course experience and approaches to learning, and to examine their relative importance as predictors of academic achievement.
Design/methodology/approach
Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling were utilised in order to find measurement models for each of the constructs and to test hypothesised structural relations between these constructs.
Findings
The original CEQ and ASSIST factors were reproduced. A model in which course experience factors predicted SAL was supported, but the same model did not provide evidence for any indirect or mediator effect between course experience, approaches to learning and academic achievement. Indirect empirical support for a hypothesised causal link between course experience and approaches to learning was found.
Research limitations/implications
Weak relations between the predictor variables (course experience/approaches to learning) and academic achievement limited the possibility of identifying mediator effects, and future research should address this issue.
Practical implications
Lecturers and course designers should take into account that students' approaches to learning are influenced by course experience, especially with respect to the adoption of a surface approach to learning.
Originality/value
This paper included a comparison between course experience, approaches to learning, and academic achievement, whereas most previous research has not included academic achievement. The utilisation of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling gave a stronger test of construct validity than exploratory analyses, and it facilitated the testing of hypothesised structural models.
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Maximiliano E. Korstanje and Babu George
Religious beliefs cloud people's understanding of the meaning of terror, and this factor alone complicates the management of terror in religious tourism settings. In this chapter…
Abstract
Religious beliefs cloud people's understanding of the meaning of terror, and this factor alone complicates the management of terror in religious tourism settings. In this chapter, we discuss the interconnectedness between religion and terror in the context of religious tourism. We examine the nature of security that provides safety for the religious tourist without adulterating the spiritual experiences of worshippers. Religious faith is known to provide the social trust necessary for a society to function systematically, but touristification of places of worship is often the cause of distress in many communities. Historically, religions have inspired useful leadership practices, and we conclude the chapter with a discussion on crisis leadership ideas that are apt for religious tourism management.
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This introductory chapter synthesises an extensive and hot debate revolving around the role of precautionary doctrine in tourism fields. Although the industry faces serious risks…
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This introductory chapter synthesises an extensive and hot debate revolving around the role of precautionary doctrine in tourism fields. Although the industry faces serious risks and dangers, terrorism – just after 9/11 – situates as the most dangerous hazard and as a challenge for policymakers and practitioners. We have reviewed the pros and cons of the most important academic schools that focused on tourism security and risk perception theory. The urgency is given in creating a bridge between theory and practice in order to articulate the policies to the nature of each risk. Today risk perception theory lacks a robust methodological background that invariably led to a gridlock. Whether the demographic school advances in the multivariable correlation between class, ideology, income or education with risk perception, the sociological school lays the foundations towards a much deeper understanding of the impacts of risks in society. Rather, the radical turn – coming from a Marxist tradition – focuses on the limitations of risk perception theory. Finally, authors who form the psychological tradition, as stated in this chapter, highlight on the complexity of emotions and the inner world. All chapters in this book aim to provide fresh practical cases that reflect the socio-cultural background of the four continents.
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The following study sought to develop an instrument to elicit the service predispositions of nurses and hospitality foodservice workers. Results of a pilot study suggested that…
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The following study sought to develop an instrument to elicit the service predispositions of nurses and hospitality foodservice workers. Results of a pilot study suggested that the service predisposition instrument (SPI) was valid and therefore appropriate to investigate the service attitudes of these workers. Service predispositions of nurses from two NHS Trusts were compared with those of hospitality foodservice workers in two large hotels. Overall, both nurses and foodservice workers were found to have similar positive service predis‐ positions. However, significant differences were present between groups for certain service dimensions.
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Alice Audrezet, Svein Ottar Olsen and Ana Alina Tudoran
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a bidimensional tool to measure overall service satisfaction: the evaluative space grid (GRID scale). The GRID scale provides a common…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a bidimensional tool to measure overall service satisfaction: the evaluative space grid (GRID scale). The GRID scale provides a common measure for both positivity and negativity through 25 grid cells. The authors propose to use the GRID scale as an integrated measure of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction to capture mixed reactions or ambivalence.
Design/methodology/approach
Within a cross-sectional between-subjects survey design, this study compares overall satisfaction with bank services as measured on the GRID scale versus a traditional semantic differential (SD) scale.
Findings
The results show that the GRID scale performs as well as the SD scale with respect to different criteria, such as reliability and discriminant, convergent, nomological and predictive validity. However, it allows to measure separately indifference and ambivalence.
Practical implications
Such a distinction assists decision-makers with recommendations on different strategies not only to create customer loyalty based on satisfaction but also to encourage them to think how to decrease the levels of dissatisfaction and ambivalence.
Originality/value
The GRID scale would address survey needs of every business suffering from average performances. This tool provides them better in-depth overall satisfaction information, especially regarding the “middle-ground” customers.
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Carmel Lindkvist, Alenka Temeljotov Salaj, Dave Collins, Svein Bjørberg and Tore Brandstveit Haugen
The purpose of this study is to explore how the discipline facilities management (FM) can be developed in a smart city perspective through considering the current and new FM…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how the discipline facilities management (FM) can be developed in a smart city perspective through considering the current and new FM services under the role of Urban FM, as well as governance structures that limit and enable it.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is primarily theoretical by examining current literature around the ideas of Urban FM and Smart Cities linking them to observations in one city aiming to be a Smart City. This specific paper focusses on maintenance management, workspace management and energy management services in a Smart City perspective.
Findings
The results outline how Urban FM can fill the gaps that are apparent in city planning through connectivity to communities and neighbourhoods using the Smart City not only approaches of optimising data but also considers prominent governance structures of FM, Urban FM, City Planning and Smart Cities. The study addresses the limitations of what can be done when cities are not organisations, which make identifying the “core business” obscure and intangible but attempts to overcome this limitation by considering social value in communities and wider linkages to the city environment.
Research limitations/implications
The paper sets out the potential of Urban FM in Smart Cities, but the findings are limited to primarily theoretical research and need further empirical examination.
Practical implications
The results indicate how facilities management can improve services in cities through the digitalisation of cities and the role of Urban FM. The study will be useful for municipalities in examining how to improve facilities, particularly in cities that aspire to be a Smart City and it is also important for policymakers in considering governance structures to meet sustainable development goals.
Originality/value
The study positions the discipline of facilities management in Smart Cities which has the potential to improve facilities in cities and the development of Urban FM.
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