An exploration of female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through an ethical lens

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Lereculey-Péran ◽  
Angelique Lombarts ◽  
David William Brannon
Keyword(s):  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Feminist Perspective ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family And Work ◽  
Executive Boards

PurposeThis paper elucidates female underrepresentation on executive boards in the Dutch hotel industry through a “feminist” stakeholder perspective, which persists despite public opinion and government initiatives to resolve this enigma. It contributes to this discussion by examining Rhenish governance structures through a “feminist” stakeholder-focused rationale, complementing prevailing Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused governance research.Design/methodology/approachEleven in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hotel executive board representatives and five with sublevel management representatives. Saturation was achieved by interviewing all females on Dutch hotel corporate boards regarding their career experiences compared with those of female general managers and male counterparts.FindingsThis paper finds a prevailing “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-orientated executive and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-orientated executive expressed within the interviews. While the former sacrifices family for their career, the latter balances their family with their career. The former fosters presupposed gender norms, with females commonly sacrificing their careers while males sacrifice their families. Notably, most executives predominantly supported the humanized stakeholder-orientated executive, while recognizing that micro-, meso- and macro-structural barriers remain.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a lacuna in the ethical literature in exploring female executive representation in Rhenish stakeholder-focused governance structures, as opposed to Anglo-Saxon shareholder-focused ones. It found a “masculinist” perspective of an idealized shareholder-focused executive archetype and a “feminist” perspective of a humanized stakeholder-focused executive archetype. Notably, contrary to perceived business norms, several interviewees rejected the former as it is incompatible with family and work, instead seeking the latter which balances between family and work.

Service innovation in the hotel industry: the dynamic capabilities view

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Ziyae ◽  
Hossein Sadeghi ◽  
Maryam Golmohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Labor ◽  
It Training

Purpose Consistent with the dynamic capabilities view tenets, this paper aims to conceptualize a theoretical framework of service innovation in the hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative method with a content analysis approach. The data were collected using a snowball sampling method and semi-structured interviews with 14 experts in Tehran's hotel industry. Findings The findings demonstrate that the most significant factors are using the new technology, keeping up with it, training human labor, being up-to-date and adopting new infrastructures. Results also reveal that improper management and lack of knowledge are the most critical factors behind service innovation failure in the hotel industry. Regarding the infrastructures needed to develop service innovation in the hotel industry, the results show that adopting the newest technology in diverse aspects, human infrastructure, the capital and appropriate space and place are the key factors. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by linking the service innovation perspective to the dynamic capabilities view. It explains how hotels can enhance service innovation to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, both academicians and hoteliers can develop action plans by selecting and managing the service innovation process.

Assessing the future of housekeeping operations in Dubai’s five-star hotel industry – room for innovation?

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Anthonisz
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the need for innovation as a means of competitive advantage in the housekeeping (HK) department of five-star hotels in Dubai and consider how the nature of the industry in the region provides particular challenges. Design/methodology/approach – An initial White Paper produced by Amadeus served as the stimulus to conduct a preliminary literature review of innovation in the field of hospitality. The application of innovation was then considered via a content analysis of web sites in Dubai to identify potential candidates for interview. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Senior Housekeeping Executives in two internationally recognized chain hotels in Dubai to better understand whether there is a need for innovation, what types of innovation are important within these HK departments and understand the potential challenges confronting senior managers in fostering innovative practices. Findings – The key results of this study provide interesting insights into the problems of developing and managing innovation within HK operations, highlighting the issues that exist as potential barriers to innovation in terms of the organizational culture and the ownership structure within the industry in Dubai. The research also highlights the fact that much of the innovation introduced within the HK department is focused on utilization of technology and is very much “output”-orientated in terms of improving customer service and creating operational efficiencies. Research limitations/implications – The paper profiles the potential problems confronting the HK department when it comes to identifying and adopting innovation. The paper also highlights the ever-changing nature of the organizational culture and the ownership structure in the five-star hotel industry in Dubai as a critical influence in terms of the perceived importance of innovation as a success factor for the future. Originality/value – The study is the first in a series of research papers that explores the relationship between key stakeholders in the hospitality industry in Dubai as the customer demand alters and they try to identify and implement innovative ideas and concepts that provide return on investment, increased customer satisfaction, sustainability and competitive advantage. It is the first paper that identifies the context and the current internal and external environments and the drivers within the industry in Dubai (five-star) hotels with a particular focus on 2020. This is within an industry that is showing evidence of change management within the customization of the hotel build and specification, and within the adaption of IT, but is looking for innovation within the application of ideas into industry processes.

The effect of nostalgia on hotel brand attachment

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 691-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yizhi Li ◽  
Can Lu ◽  
Vanja Bogicevic ◽  
Milos Bujisic
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Brand Attachment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Sequential Explanatory Mixed Method

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to distinguish between two types of nostalgia, examine their effect on emotions and explore the relationships between nostalgic emotions evoked by past hotel experiences and consumers’ brand attachment and willingness-to-pay.Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on a sequential explanatory mixed-method design. An online scenario-based experiment was complemented with online structured interviews.FindingsThe results indicate that both personal nostalgia and historical nostalgia evoke positive emotions (upbeat/elation and warm/tender). However, emotions evoked by personal nostalgia are less intense than those evoked by historical nostalgia. Positive emotions successfully predicted brand prominence and brand-self connection. Brand prominence, but not brand-self connection, was positively related to consumers’ willingness-to-pay.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s findings suggest that hotel brands that focus on creating extraordinary memories, and brands with more historical themes, elicit more positive emotions among hotel customers. This, in turn, makes customers more likely to recall that hotel brand in the future and translates into higher willingness-to-pay.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to establish and test a conceptual model that connects nostalgia, nostalgic emotions, brand attachment and willingness-to-pay in the hotel industry context. As such, it is a rare attempt to explain the role of personal and historical nostalgia in hospitality research.

Technology innovations towards reducing hospitality human resource costs in Langkawi, Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozila Ahmad ◽  
Noel Scott
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Innovations ◽  
Labour Costs ◽  
Ict Adoption ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose Hotel labour costs in Malaysia are increasing. This paper aims to explore Langkawi hotel managers’ perceptions about reducing labour costs using various information and communication technology (ICT) innovations. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers from 19 budget and boutique resorts on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. Qualitative data were recorded, transcribed and content analysed using latent coding. Findings All hotel managers reported using some form of ICT. The purpose for ICT adoption found was to increase productivity and efficiency. A hotel’s customer mix, the need of the organization and the technology budget available influenced the outcome of technological innovation. Langkawi hotels had successfully implemented Property Management Systems (PMSs), but self-check-in/out kiosks were not seen as important as they do not meet their customers’ service expectations. Research limitations/implications This study identifies some factors influencing uptake by hotels of technological innovations. This initial qualitative exploration of the technology adoption feasibility in Langkawi suggests that implementation to reduce labour cost is more likely for employee-operated devices rather than customer-operated devices. Practical implications This study contributes to the human resource (HR) management literature by providing insight into the reasons hotel managers introduce technology in a developing country context. Results suggests that hotels face challenges in reducing labour costs through technology. These insights may serve to guide policymakers and hotel managers in other developing countries that are planning to use technology to solve their HR issues. Luxury hotels can consider adopting ICT for back-of-the-house operations such as using a HR information system within the HR department and PMS for the hotel overall operation. Social implications These findings can increase the Malaysians awareness of ICT importance, especially in the hotel industry. Originality/value The Malaysian national minimum wage order policy was introduced in 2012. This policy has resulted in increased labour costs and suggests a need to adopt ICT. This paper is the first to examine the viewpoints of hotel practitioners as to the viability of this strategy. Whilst many studies on the adoption of ICT in the hotel industry focus on its impact on productivity and firm’s performance using quantitative methods, this study used qualitative methods to explore hotel managers’ perceptions on its feasibility to reduce dependence on labour.

View from the top: what directors say about board process

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rookmin Maharaj
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transmission Channels ◽  
Board Decision Making ◽  
Board Process

PurposeThis paper aims to use the argument that formal regulations alone may not be the defining factor in improving corporate governance and the decision making process of the BOD.Design/methodology/approachBased on 20 semi‐structured interviews with board chairs, members of corporate boards, CEOs, and upper/executive management at 12 Canadian companies, a bird's eye view is taken from the top. A content analysis of the interviews was performed. a clear picture about the interaction and behaviour of directors emerged. Subsequently, three objectives that are required for effective decision‐making were developed: knowledge; motivation; and transmission channels/internal control. The analysis offers three critical objectives, which all boards should endeavour to accomplish.FindingsThese interviews demystify board process and provide the bases for three critical objectives for effective corporate governance: ascertain and embellish the knowledge base of directors; motivate directors to share and gather information; and ensure clear and fluent transmission channels exist.Practical implicationsThe usual board measures such as CEO duality, insider and outsider ratio, number of board members and directors' share ownership may not be the only critical determinants of board effectiveness.Originality/valueConventional notions of decision making have neglected key human faculties and individual characteristics that combine to determine organizational outcomes. This paper fulfils a need for research in the area of board processes and board decision making and provides a roadmap to improve corporate governance within organizations.

Country-level corporate governance and protection of minority shareholders’ rights

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 532-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otuo Serebour Agyemang ◽  
Mavis Osei-Effah ◽  
Samuel Kwaku Agyei ◽  
John Gartchie Gatsi
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Big 4

Purpose This paper aims to examine how country-level corporate governance structures influence the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in the context of Africa. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected from the world competitiveness report for the period 2010-2015. To examine the validity of the study’s hypotheses empirically, the authors use ordinary least squares with correlated panel-corrected standards error (PCSE). Findings This paper offers additional empirical evidence on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in Africa. It highlights that country-level corporate governance structures such as efficacy of corporate boards, strength of investor confidence, regulations of securities exchanges and the operation of the Big 4 accounting firms have significant positive impacts on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights. Research limitations/implications This paper fails to include all African countries because of non-availability of a report for some African countries. Thus, the findings on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in a country are applicable to the countries used in this study. Practical implications This paper emphasizes on the relevance of country-level corporate governance structures to ensuring a reasonable level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights. Originality/value This paper partially fills the gap regarding the absence of an empirical cross-country study on how country-level corporate governance structures influence the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights.

Sustainability in the Pakistani hotel industry: an empirical study

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 714-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymen Sajjad ◽  
Aleena Jillani ◽  
Muhammad Mustafa Raziq
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Government ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose This paper aims to look at the sustainability practices adopted by the Pakistani hotel industry. Sustainability is a relatively under-researched notion from the perspective of the developing world, and in particular, the research lacks evidence from the Pakistani hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow an exploratory multiple case study design to study the sustainability practices adopted by the Pakistani hotel industry. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with the senior hotel managers. Findings The results suggest that sustainability is only partially integrated into the business strategy for most of the sample hotels, and a systematic approach to sustainability is currently lacking. Overall, the central focus of the hotels is on developing commercial performance, whereas some fragmented social and environmental sustainability initiatives are implemented on an ad hoc basis. Practical implications This study identifies some practical issues and challenges in relation to sustainability implementation in the Pakistani context. It is suggested that the government, community organizations and the private sector firms need to actively collaborate to promote the sustainability agenda. Originality/value This paper extends the extant literature by exploring sustainability implementation in the Pakistani hotel industry. While there is limited sustainability research in the context of the developing world, this study contributes by bridging this gap in the present literature.

Developing a hierarchical model to enhance business excellence in hotel industry of Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1836-1856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahbubar Rahman ◽  
Rafikul Islam ◽  
Wan Rohaida Wan Husain ◽  
Khaliq Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Hierarchical Model ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Excellence ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Quality Dimensions

Purpose The study aims to develop a hierarchical model based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to enable the ranking of quality dimensions required for achieving business excellence in the hotel industry of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a sequential mix method approach in which semi-structured interviews with 24 participants were initially conducted during the qualitative stage to identify the quality dimensions. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 40 industry experts to prioritise the identified elements using the relative measurement of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). In total, 32 respondents were further surveyed to evaluate a selected number of hotels in Bangladesh using the absolute measurement of AHP. Findings The study uncovered eight criteria, together with 23 corresponding sub-criteria during the qualitative stage. Quality management emerged as the most crucial criterion, while health and safety-security measures were the most important sub-criteria in addressing the quality management criterion. In Bangladesh, five-star hotels were observed to be performing better than three-star and four-star hotels. Originality/value The developed model is unique and can be used by Bangladeshi practitioners to measure the performance of hotels. Moreover, it can also be applied to measure the performance of hotels in other countries just by incorporating minor modification to the model framework.

Country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment in Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otuo Serebour Agyemang ◽  
Christopher Gbettey ◽  
John Gartchie Gatsi ◽  
Innocent Senyo Kwasi Acquah
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the link between country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment in African economies for the period 2009-2015. Design/methodology/approach The authors use annual panel data of 40 African economies over the period of the study and use the system generalized method of moments (GMM) to establish the relationship between country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment. Findings The authors find that African economies characterized by firms with high ethical values tend to attract a great deal of foreign direct investment. In addition, they highlight that when an economy is associated with effective corporate boards, it tends to attract much foreign direct investment. Further, this study reveals that the level of minority shareholders’ interests’ protection in an economy has a significant positive relationship with foreign direct investment. Finally, they document a negative relationship between effectiveness of regulation of securities and exchanges and foreign direct investment. Practical implications It is advised that sound and implementable corporate governance structures devoid of political interferences should be put in place in African economies, if the aim of using foreign direct investment to mitigate poverty by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals is to be attained. Originality/value Empiricists have devoted considerable effort to estimate the factors that influence the level of foreign direct investment into African economies without taking into consideration the corporate governance structures in these economies. However, this paper seeks to examine the relationship between country-level corporate governance structures and foreign direct investment in African economies.

scholarly journals Materiality: stakeholder accountability choices in hotels’ sustainability reports

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 2321-2338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Guix ◽  
Xavier Font ◽  
Maria Jesus Bonilla-Priego
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Industry Sustainability ◽  
Industry Needs

Purpose This paper aims to examine the choices made by the hotel industry about what to include, and who to be accountable to, in their sustainability reports; a process defined as materiality assessment. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on the findings of semi-structured interviews with eight sustainability managers (from eight of the world’s 50 largest hotel groups) to explore their understanding of, and use of, materiality and any barriers to its uptake and eight industry sustainability experts to assess the general industry-wide application of materiality. Findings Sustainability managers from large hotel groups are evasive when disclosing their materiality criteria, their decision-making processes and how they aggregate stakeholder feedback; they limit their disclosure to the reporting process. Sustainability managers are disempowered, with limited resources, time, knowledge and skills to apply to materiality assessment. Experts confirm that hotel groups are unsystematic and opaque about their decision-making and how they control their materiality assessments. Practical implications Materiality assessment is concealed from the public and may be constructed around business imperatives with high managerial capture. The hospitality industry needs to improve its sustainability reporting by examining how it defines and applies materiality and by addressing the barriers identified, if it is to demonstrate an enduring commitment to sustainability and organisational legitimacy. Originality/value This study addresses the limited knowledge of how hotel groups undertake materiality assessments. It identifies gaps in the conception and application of materiality by pinpointing barriers to its uptake and recommending areas in need of further research.

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