International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management最新文献

Purpose

This critical reflection aims to introduce a five-step process to develop and validate experimental scenarios.

Design/methodology/approach

The five-step process was developed by analyzing academic articles, research methodology books and encyclopedias. The researcher then synthesized the learnings and formulated foundational steps for developing and validating experimental scenarios. To illustrate this process, an example of its application in a service innovation acceptance study is presented.

Findings

A review of academic sources revealed a lack of clear guidance on developing and validating experimental scenarios. The synthesis of fragmented information in the literature resulted in a five-step process for developing and validating experimental scenarios.

Research limitations/implications

The resulting process serves as a first-of-its-kind research guide that enhances the validity and replicability of scenario-based experiments while addressing the gaps in scenario development and increasing the accessibility and impact of experimental research.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the body of knowledge by addressing a methodological shortcoming in the literature, providing a clear process for developing valid experimental scenarios. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first time that a systematic, easy-to-follow process for developing and validating scenarios is advanced.

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between metaverse usage motivations and metaverse behavioral intention through Self-Determination Theory.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzed a sample of 501 South Korean individuals aged 18 and older who had prior experience using the metaverse, using a moderated mediation model.

Findings

The results indicate a significant direct effect between metaverse usage motivation and tourist behavioral intention, with tourist satisfaction significantly mediating this relationship. In addition, the authenticity and flow of metaverse tourism also have significant moderating effects on the model.

Originality/value

These insights can inform targeted marketing strategies, guiding the future development of metaverse tourism and hospitality.

Purpose

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is an essential component of hospitality in the technological empowerment era, AI’s effectiveness as an attraction in this context remains unclear. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation theory and complexity theory, this study aims to explore configurational paths whereby combinations of qualities lead to success for different types of AI-themed hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

This study innovatively blends topic modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate configurational paths whereby combined qualities produce positive guest evaluations of 12 AI-themed hotels as evidenced by 7,431 customer reviews.

Findings

The results indicate that AI could serve as a “theme” to attract customers under certain circumstances. First, “attractive” and “must-be” qualities are first identified for different types of AI-themed hotels. Furthermore, 6, 15 and 15 configurational paths inspiring favorable guest evaluations of luxury-independent, budget-independent and chain AI-themed hotels, respectively. Technology-related qualities are found to be especially attractive for luxury-independent AI-themed hotels, whereas the role of technology is minimal for budget AI-themed hotels. The impact of technology is salient for chain AI-themed hotels when combined with other factors. In addition, the effect of price differs among the configurational paths for the three hotel types.

Research limitations/implications

This study expands the understanding of AI applications within the hospitality context by exploring the role of AI in AI-themed hotels and comparing its effectiveness in attracting customers across various hotel types. It also provides operational strategies for adopting AI for different types of hotels and for other hospitality and tourism sectors.

Originality/value

This study represents an early attempt to integrate topic modeling and fsQCA to clarify customers’ perceptions of AI-themed hotels and the combined impacts of various qualities. The findings expand on Kano’s model by classifying technology-related qualities into attractive qualities within AI-themed hotels.

Purpose

Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot technology is increasingly used to handle customer complaints in the service recovery process. Built on the justice theory, this paper aims to explore the optimal way to utilize chatbots in handling customer complaints for service failure recovery and the moderating role of humor.

Design/methodology/approach

Two scenario-based between-subjects experimental design studies were conducted to examine the two aspects of justice in service failure recovery: Study 1 focuses on procedural justice manifested as perceived control and Study 2 on interactional justice assessed as social presence. Furthermore, the moderating role of humor is investigated.

Findings

The results indicate that both perceived control and social presence can improve chatbots’ effectiveness in handling service failures to regain customer satisfaction and the consequent revisit intention. However, humor shows opposite effects in the two studies: chatbots using humorous language in complaint handling may attenuate the positive effect of perceived control but enhance the positive effect of social presence.

Practical implications

The findings provide practical guidelines to the service industry regarding the optimal service design and technology deployment in customer service, particularly for an effective service failure recovery process.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the service failure recovery literature by investigating how the new service technology of AI-powered chatbots can effectively handle customer complaints for service failure recovery. Furthermore, the research reveals the nuanced effects of humor in different complaint-handling situations.

Purpose

Building on the social capital theory of career success (SCT), this paper aims to explore how and when newcomers’ overqualifications can grant them positions as informal leaders within the workgroup over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The model was tested using a social relations modeling analysis conducted using a three-wave survey with 242 newcomers in Macau.

Findings

The results support the view that relatively qualified newcomers can enjoy social capital advantages in workgroup networks. Newcomers’ desired qualifications can grant them positions as informal leaders through leader–member exchange and advice network centrality. These relationships are moderated by relational dissimilarity, such that the benefits of being relatively overqualified will be weakened when relational dissimilarity is high (vs. low).

Practical implications

When assisting overqualified newcomers in integrating into their teams, practitioners shall be aware of the time and resources that new hires require for adjustment, especially when significant newcomer–veteran relational dissimilarity exists.

Originality/value

The present paper challenges the overtly detrimental outcomes of overqualification by highlighting the positive relational implications of being relatively overqualified.

Purpose

As artificial intelligence technology empowers service robots, they increasingly communicate with consumers in a human-like manner. This study aims to investigate the effect of service robots’ different conversational styles (competent conversational style vs. cute conversational style) on consumer service acceptance and demonstrate the moderating role of consumers’ technology anxiety.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on anthropomorphism theory and social presence theory, the authors conducted two scenario-based experiments (restaurant scenario and hotel scenario) to investigate this issue.

Findings

The results indicate that service robots’ conversational styles impact consumers’ willingness to accept the use of service robots through perceived social presence and positive emotion. Moreover, consumers perceived social presence and positive emotion play a serial mechanism. In addition, the effect of competent conversational style on consumers perceived social presence is less effective than that of cute conversational style. Finally, the authors demonstrate the moderating role of consumer technology anxiety in the relationship between conversational styles and perceived social presence.

Practical implications

To provide consumers with a positive human–robot interaction experience at the service front line, managers need to make better use of the conversational styles of service robots by comprehensively considering the characteristics of consumer technology anxiety.

Originality/value

This research extends the literature on service robots by integrating consumer characteristics and robots’ conversational styles. These findings highlight the effectiveness of cute conversational style in alleviating consumer technology anxiety.

Purpose

Based on the stressor-detachment theory, this study aims to investigate the effect of daily customer mistreatment on proactive service performance and ego depletion, mediated by psychological detachment inhibition during the evening. Additionally, this study endeavors to investigate the dual moderating role of prosocial motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

A time-lagged, diary daily survey involving 74 participants over 8 consecutive workdays was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings indicate that the psychological detachment inhibition during the evening of Day t mediates the impact of Day t’s customer mistreatment on Day t + 1’s proactive service performance and ego depletion. Furthermore, although prosocial motivation was found to intensify the impact of customer mistreatment on psychological detachment inhibition, it alleviated the negative association between psychological detachment inhibition and proactive service performance.

Research limitations/implications

When employees experience customer mistreatment, hospitality managers should not only provide emotional reassurance and resolve any related issues promptly but also encourage employees to engage in activities that distract them and help them to relax and recharge, especially for those who exhibit high prosocial motivation. Moreover, hiring employees with high prosocial motivation is recommended for hospitality organizations to enable them to maintain high service performance.

Originality/value

This study focuses on psychological detachment inhibition during the evening linking within-person design and daily spill-over impact, enriching the mechanisms through which the repercussions of daily customer mistreatment extend beyond the immediate workday and affect individuals’ outcomes. This study also expands upon the existing literature by clarifying the dual aspects – both detrimental and beneficial – of prosocial motivation.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to analysis of the effects of green innovation ecosystem coopetition (cooperation and competition), environmental management practices (EMPs) and digital innovation (DI) on carbon footprint reduction.

Design/methodology/approach

To conduct the study, a questionnaire was administered to hotel managers from different regions of Brazil. Data were collected from 197 hotels and analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results show that green innovation ecosystem cooperation positively and significantly affects EMPs and DI. Green innovation ecosystem competition interactions also benefit the adoption of EMPs. However, they do not significantly influence the use of DI. The results indicate that hotels that are in a scenario of simultaneous competition and collaboration (coopetition) within the green innovation ecosystem can reduce carbon emissions when EMPs and DI are used.

Research limitations/implications

The authors contribute to the literature by showing different pathways for reducing the carbon footprint of hotels. The results expand the authors’ knowledge by showing evidence that cooperation and competition interactions can produce distinct effects, especially on DI. Thus, this study has important practical implications for hotel managers seeking to improve their environmental practices and DI with the help of external multiagent resources and knowledge.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature by examining how cooperation and competition interactions in the green innovation ecosystem help in the adoption of environmental management and DI practices.

Purpose

This study aims to examine key factors influencing hospitality employee turnover in a post-pandemic context, challenging conventional assumptions about the role of demographics and work-related factors in retention decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopted a comprehensive framework using the capability approach and geospatial data analysis, integrating social vulnerability indexes with survey responses from 797 hospitality employees. This study analyzed turnover intentions across demographics, job roles and regions, focusing on Florida’s I-4 corridor.

Findings

Individual conversion factors like age and marital status were the strongest predictors of turnover, with older and married employees less likely to leave their jobs. In contrast, traditional variables like income, education and job type did not significantly influence turnover intentions. The pandemic blurred distinctions between job roles, highlighting personal circumstances, health risks and economic pressures as critical factors. Contrary to expectations, financial assistance did not significantly reduce turnover intentions. In addition, employees’ life circumstances, such as social vulnerability, influence labor relations and turnover more than work-related conditions.

Research limitations/implications

This study enriches turnover literature by confirming that personal life circumstances, like age and marital status, are pivotal in understanding employee retention. It challenges conventional demographic and work-related predictors and urges future research to explore the interaction between personal and professional factors in the hospitality industry. The study’s agent-based framework deepens the understanding of how various factors shape employee decisions to stay or leave.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that hospitality employers must develop more localized, employee-centric retention strategies, especially for younger employees. Tailored approaches considering regional and demographic differences, such as providing career development opportunities and flexible work conditions, could foster long-term loyalty. In rural areas, retention efforts should focus on improving job satisfaction and community support, while in urban areas, strategies prioritize career progression and flexibility.

Social implications

The study’s findings have significant social implications, particularly in reshaping how employee retention strategies are developed in the hospitality industry. By emphasizing life circumstances over traditional work-related factors, the research highlights the importance of supporting employees’ resilience, especially for those facing social vulnerability. Employers may need to create more flexible and inclusive policies that ac

Purpose

Despite the increasing popularity of women-owned businesses in the marketplace, relatively few studies in the hospitality literature have focused on these businesses. Hence, this study aims to examine the impact of femvertising and purplewashing on consumers’ willingness to pay a premium at women-owned restaurants, as well as the role of feminist self-identification and psychological closeness underlying these associated effects. The study aims to provide insights into women-owned restaurant marketing strategies and to highlight the importance of authentic brand activism in consumer behavior in the restaurant industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on Construal Level Theory, this paper conducts two online experiments with 486 US participants who have dined at or ordered takeout from a restaurant. The studies aim to investigate consumers’ opinions about brand activism strategies (i.e. femvertising and purplewashing) in restaurants.

Findings

The results of two experimental studies indicate that a femvertising strategy increases consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for a women-owned restaurant compared to a non-women-owned restaurant. Moreover, consumers who identify more strongly as feminists are more likely to pay more for women-owned restaurants when purplewashing is absent (vs present). Additionally, psychological closeness serves as an underlying mechanism that explains these effects.

Practical implications

This study provides clear and actionable recommendations to help business stakeholders, owners and managers to market and advertise women-owned restaurants. For example, women-owned restaurant practitioners should feature women empowerment messaging in their advertisements to attract more consumers. However, they should avoid using purplewashing and other inauthentic brand activism practices in advertisements.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the hospitality literature on women entrepreneurship by exploring the effective marketing strategies of women-owned restaurants and investigating how to advertise women-owned businesses in the hospitality field. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is also the very first study to explore the role of femvertising and purplewashing in consumers’ food-related decision-making.