scholarly journals Role of artificial intelligence and robotics to foster the touchless travel during a pandemic: a review and research agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loveleen Gaur ◽  
Anam Afaq ◽  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi

Purpose The hospitality industry experienced an unanticipated challenge from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research in this area is scarce. Accordingly, this study aims to unfold a three-angled research agenda to intensify the knowledge advancement in the hospitality sector. It proposes a theoretical framework by extending the protection motivation theory (PMT) to explain the guest’s intent to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as a protective measure in reaction to COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach The research is centered on outlining the pertinent literature on hospitality management practices and the guest’s transformed behavior during the current crisis. This study intends to identify a research agenda based on investigating hospitality service trends in today’s changing times. Findings The study sets out a research agenda that includes three dimensions as follows: AI and robotics, cleanliness and sanitation and health care and wellness. This study’s findings suggest that AI and robotics may bring out definite research directions at the connection of health crisis and hospitality management, taking into account the COVID-19 crisis. Practical implications The suggested research areas are anticipated to propel the knowledge base and help the hospitality industry retrieve the COVID-19 crisis through digital transformation. AI and robotics are at the cusp of invaluable advancement that can revive the hotels while re-establish guests’ confidence in safe hotel practices. The proposed research areas are likely to impart pragmatic lessons to the hospitality industry to fight against disruptive situations. Originality/value This study stands out to be pioneer research that incorporated AI and robotics to expand the PMT and highlights how behavioral choices during emergencies can bring technological revolution.

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 2563-2573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangyang Jiang ◽  
Jun Wen

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on hotel marketing and management practices and outlines a three-pronged research agenda to stimulate knowledge development in the hotel sector. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on an overview of the relevant literature on hotel marketing and management and the hotel guest behavior. The authors also investigated hospitality service trends to propose a research agenda. Findings This paper presents a research agenda from three dimensions – artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, hygiene and cleanliness and health and health care. First, different types of AI (mechanical, thinking and feeling) might open up distinct research streams at the intersection of health crises and hotel management, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this paper recommends that researchers move beyond typical perspectives on the antecedents and outcomes of hotel hygiene and cleanliness to delve into guests’ perceptions of the cleanliness of specific hotel surfaces. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis is warranted about the evolving relationship between hotels and the health-care sector. Practical implications The recommended research areas are intended to advance the knowledge base to help hotels recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The suggested research streams are expected to provide actionable insights to promote the development and sustainability of the hotel sector. Originality/value This paper appears to be a frontier study, critically examining possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hotel marketing and management practices and how hoteliers may respond to such challenges to recover after this pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 726-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bowen ◽  
Cristian Morosan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics can and will be utilized by the hospitality industry, providing a glimpse of what their use will look like in 2030. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviewed both academic and trade literature to provide an overview of how robots will affect the hospitality industry during the 2030s. Findings Experts predict that by 2030, robots will make up about 25 per cent of the “workforce” in the hospitality industry. The paper also explains the industry challenges the robots will solve, as well as other benefits they provide. One of the findings is that the adoption of robots by the industry will be a disruptive paradigm shift. It will create successful new hospitality companies while putting others out of business. Finally, this paper discusses how to keep the hospitality in hospitality businesses, when machines replace employees. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to discuss the disruption that robots will cause in the industry. One of the findings is service delivery systems will need to be redesigned to maximize the benefits of robots, while still maintaining the hospitality of a customer service orientation.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyoti Rana ◽  
Loveleen Gaur ◽  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Usama Awan ◽  
Muhammad Imran Rasheed

Purpose This study defines a three-angled research plan to intensify the knowledge and development undergoing in the retail sector. It proposes a theoretical framework of the customer journey to explain the customers' intent to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as a protective measure for interaction between the customer and the brand.Design/methodology/approach This study presents a research agenda from three-dimensional online search, ML and AI algorithms. This paper enhances the readers' understanding by reviewing the literature present in utilizing AI in the customer journey and presenting a theoretical framework.Findings Using AI tools like Chatbots, Recommenders, Virtual Assistance and Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) helps create improved brand awareness, better customer relationships marketing and personalized product modification.Originality/value This study intends to identify a research plan based on investigating customer journey trends in today's changing times with AI incorporation. The research provides a novel model framework of the customer journey by directing customers into different stages and providing different touchpoints in each stage, all supported with AI and ML.


Author(s):  
Ruohan Zhang ◽  
Akanksha Saran ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Yifeng Zhu ◽  
Sihang Guo ◽  
...  

Human gaze reveals a wealth of information about internal cognitive state. Thus, gaze-related research has significantly increased in computer vision, natural language processing, decision learning, and robotics in recent years. We provide a high-level overview of the research efforts in these fields, including collecting human gaze data sets, modeling gaze behaviors, and utilizing gaze information in various applications, with the goal of enhancing communication between these research areas. We discuss future challenges and potential applications that work towards a common goal of human-centered artificial intelligence.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Arias-Pérez ◽  
Juan Vélez-Jaramillo

Purpose Artificial intelligence (AI) will be performing 52% of the tasks in companies by 2025. The increasing adoption of AI is generating technological turbulence in the business environment. Previous studies have also shown that employees are aware of the high risk of losing their jobs when being replaced by AI. The risk of employees engaging in opportunistic behaviors, such as knowledge hiding, is thus fairly high. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the mediating effect of employee’s AI awareness on the relationship between technological turbulence generated by AI and the three types of knowledge hiding: evasive hiding, playing dumb and rationalized hiding. Design/methodology/approach Structural equations by the partial least squares method were used to test the proposed research model. Findings The most interesting finding is that employee’s AI and robotics awareness fulfills almost all mediating functions in the relationship between technological turbulence generated by AI and the three types of knowledge hiding. Originality/value The results show that knowledge hiding in the digital age is first and foremost a strategy by employees to sabotage and induce failure in process automation, to reduce the risk of being replaced in the workplace by AI. This study indicates that employees are willing to hide knowledge in all possible ways when perception that AI is a threat to their job increases. In other words, technological turbulence generated by AI and employee’s AI awareness are the two great new triggers of knowledge hiding in the digital age.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom P. Abeles

Purpose This paper aims to explore how the introduction of robots and artificial intelligence raises questions regarding the role of “work” not just in meeting societal material needs but challenges the idea of work as an underlying paradigm of human society, particularly as personal identity. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes the form of an editorial opinion piece. Findings “Work” is a defining characteristic of an individual. The entrance of robots and artificial intelligence could be a greater challenge to an individual’s sense of well-being and identity than only for filling traditional functions and basic needs of society. Social Implications The question is raised as to the psychological and social implications of the “immigration” of a new “culture” in the form of artificial intelligence and robotics beyond a local or regional basis. Originality/value The increasing presence of robots and artificial intelligence not only offers alternative ways for society to function but also sharpens the challenges that one culture faces when confronted by other communities who are able to fill traditional positions beyond the traditional one of “work”.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub Ruel ◽  
Esther Njoku

Purpose This paper aims to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have redefined the hospitality industry. It develops a theoretical framework to evaluate its impact on employee engagement, retention and productivity levels, stemming from its potential implications for service quality and customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Based on the exploration of relevant literature, role theory and service-profit chain were used to develop – role-service-profit chain. Findings Role-service-profit chain is an analytical tool which has strong implications for investment and deployment analysis of the new technologies in hospitality and tourism businesses. It proposes how managers can evaluate how the role expectation of technological innovations relate to service quality and customer satisfaction through its impact on employee-related outcomes (such as employee engagement, retention and productivity), and assess the corresponding impact on profitability and growth, in the context of their own unique internal environment and position in the market. Research limitations/implications Although an empirical assessment of the hypothesised relationships in the model is required to evaluate and validate it in the hospitality industry, role-service-profit chain presents promising implications for tourism and hospitality practice and future research. Practical implications Role-service-profit chain is an analytical tool from which managers can make improvements on talent and talent management practices and adjust expectations and behaviours in ways that facilitate improvements in service quality and customer satisfaction. Originality/value This paper makes an important contribution to hospitality and tourism literature, as it explores how AI technologies implemented to improve on talent and talent management practices impact on service quality and customer satisfaction, and develops analytical tools by which this may be evaluated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Wu ◽  
An-Jin Shie

Purpose Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study aims to apply the emotional labour concept to illustrate about the relationship between customer orientation (CO) and job burnout, further demonstrating how the relationship is established in the hospitality industry. This study intends to find that emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between CO and emotional labour. Design/methodology/approach The study uses descriptive statistical analysis and reliability analysis. Then, the study uses confirmatory factor analyses to ensure the model fit and discriminant validity of the measures. Finally, the hypothesised relationship model is tested and analysed via regression analysis. Findings The study finds three dimensions of emotional labour all partially mediated the relationship between CO and job burnout. Meanwhile, the study finds that emotional intelligence would moderate the relationship between CO and three dimensions of emotional labour. Research limitations/implications First, the respondents in this study come from five-star hotels in Beijing, China. As the results of this study are based on a sample of Chinese five-star hotel employees, the selection of a single service setting and a single country may raise concerns for the issue of generalisability. Thus, the findings of this study may not generalise to other hospitality contexts, other cultures or other times; research in other settings, geographical areas or times might yield different results. Practical implications High employee job burnout is a thorny problem in the hospitality industry, so it is a great challenge for hospitality management to solve high employee job burnout. As a personality resource, CO will decrease job burnout. Emotional labour is a common issue in hospitality. The study intends to explore the lived experiences of the frontline employees in hospitality industry to explain the role of CO directives on employee job burnout in an emotional labour perspective. The results give suggestions for the hospitality management. Social implications After reviewing of relevant literature, two research gaps are found. First, despite the amount of research showing a negative relationship between CO and job burnout, remarkably little is known about how these relationships are established. Second, a more important gap lies in overlooking the emotional nature of hospitality service work. The results of the study can fill the theoretical gap. Originality/value First, the recruitment and selection of frontline employees should incorporate an assessment of the level of CO. Second, hospitality management should teach and train the employees about the proper control of emotional labour. Third, the recruitment and selection of frontline employees should incorporate an assessment of the level of emotional intelligence; meanwhile, it is necessary to strengthen the emotional intelligence training.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Kong ◽  
Yue Yuan ◽  
Yehuda Baruch ◽  
Naipeng Bu ◽  
Xinyu Jiang ◽  
...  

Purpose The prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) has considerably affected management and society. This paper aims to explore its potential impact on hospitality industry employees, bringing enlightenment to both employees and managers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a survey of 432 employees who worked in full-service hotels in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Findings Results presented a positive relationship between AI awareness and job burnout. No significant direct relationship was found between AI awareness and career competencies. Organizational commitment mediated the relationship between AI awareness and career competencies, as well as the relationship between AI awareness and job burnout. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to human resource management in the hospitality industry to theoretical and practical aspects. Theoretically, it enriched both career theory and fit theory. Practically, this study reminds managers to pay attention to the adverse effect of AI on human capital. It also enlightens the manager to think of the positive effects that AI may bring. Managers should provide proper support to overcome AI’s threat to human resources. Practical implications Practically, this study reminds managers to pay attention to the adverse effect of AI on human capital. It also enlightens the manager to think of the positive effects that AI may bring. Managers should provide proper support to overcome AI’s threat to human resources. Originality/value The study aims to analyze the impact of AI from a career perspective. It provided theoretical support and evidence for hotel managers for the effects of AI awareness on hotel employees. The study conveys a potential topic of concern that the hospitality industry may face in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusra Qamar ◽  
Rakesh Kumar Agrawal ◽  
Taab Ahmad Samad ◽  
Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour

PurposeAn original systematic review of the academic literature on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resource management (HRM) domain is carried out to capture the current state-of-the-art and prepare an original research agenda for future studies.Design/methodology/approachFifty-nine journal articles are selected based on a holistic search and quality evaluation criteria. By using content analysis and structural concept analysis, this study elucidates the extent and impact of AI application in HRM functions, which is followed by synthesizing a concept map that illustrates how the usage of various AI techniques aids HRM decision-making.FindingsA comprehensive review of the AI-HRM domain’s existing literature is presented. A concept map is synthesized to present a taxonomical overview of the AI applications in HRM.Research implications/limitationsAn original research agenda comprising relevant research questions is put forward to assist further developments in the AI-HRM domain. An indicative preliminary framework to help transition toward ethical AI is also presented.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature through a holistic discussion on the current state of the domain, the extent of AI application in HRM, and its current and perceived future impact on HRM functions. A preliminary ethical framework and an extensive future research agenda are developed to open new research avenues.


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