Smart hospitality: Taiwan hotel stakeholder perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Leung
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Systems ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Information Technology Consultants ◽  
Business Entities ◽  
Media Monitoring ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Smart Technologies ◽  
Online Travel

Purpose The term smartness has been discussed in the academia for many years; prior research has listed numerous advantages and encouraged business entities to implement smart technologies. However, stakeholders’ knowledge level, support intention and barriers to smart technology have been under investigated. Without the support of stakeholders, smart projects can hardly be implemented. This paper aims to explore the above-mentioned under investigated area and identify the gaps between academia and the hotel industry in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with nine hotel stakeholders in Taiwan with investors, owners, managers, technology suppliers and information technology consultants. Three key areas were focused on: smart hotel definition, expectations from smart hotel and known barriers for implementing smart technologies. Findings The definition of smart hotel among all stakeholders was inconsistent. Stakeholders defined a smart hotel according to their role in the organization: revenue boost, service customization, operations effectiveness and in-room automation. However, the key functions of smart technologies, such as interconnectivity and interoperability with business partners’ application (e.g. online travel agencies) and linkage to external Big data for accurate revenue forecast, were not mentioned by the interviewees. In addition, social media monitoring, robots and artificial intelligence were not mentioned during the interview. Originality/value This study attempted to identify Taiwanese hotel stakeholders’ perspective on smart hotel and to compare the outcome with academic research. The result indicated that there is a big gap in the definition of “smart hotel” among stakeholders and academia and reflected several barriers that prohibit hotel owners and investors in implementing smart systems.

Advancing the multidimensional approach to family business professionalization

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gülçin Polat
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Multidimensional Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multidimensional Construct ◽  
Definition Of

PurposeAlthough it has been implicitly or explicitly assumed that family business professionalization is indeed a multidimensional construct, there has been a tendency to confine it to the employment of nonfamily managers and delegating authority in academic research. Dekker et al. (2013) have made an impressive work in untangling the multidimensional structure of family business professionalization. This paper aims to introduce a more comprehensive multidimensional approach and a framework to understand and study family business professionalization by identifying additional dimensions.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework relies on insights derived from the literature on family business professionalization, occupational professionalism and organizational professionalism to reveal the broader multidimensionality of family business professionalization.FindingsThe proposed framework extends the definition of family business professionalization and offers additional dimensions which were grouped under five overarching headings: professionalization of management, professionalization of organizational structure, processes and operations, professionalization of family's relationship with business, professionalization of employees and professionalization of work environment and culture.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by providing a wider approach for the understanding of family business professionalization. It presents a new way of thinking about family business professionalization, underlining the importance of employees and organizational culture for the professionalization process in family firms.

scholarly journals The implications of “miniaturism” for urban tourism destination futures – from micropubs to microbars

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Claire Haynes ◽  
David Egan
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Urban Tourism ◽  
Tourism Destination ◽  
Hybrid Form ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Historic Development ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how the continued interest in the concept of “miniaturism” has seen the micropub develop into the new format of the microbar and examines the drivers of this trend. It then reflects on the possible implications of the rise of the microbar concept on the future of the urban tourism destination landscape. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that is built on the natural curiosity of future studies to use an understanding of the present to predict what will happen next and what the implications of those developments will be. Findings The paper provides a clear definition of the microbar and identifies four distinctive drivers behind its conception, linked to changes in consumer behaviour. These cover the rise of the micro-break, the need for responsible urban regeneration, consumers desire for immediate and unique experiences and increasingly diverse populations. The paper predicts that these trends will drive an increase in microbars leading to greater tourist mobility in the urban tourism destination, more fragmentation and heterogeneity of products and services as well as an intensification in the need for authentic experiences and opportunity driven development giving rise to a hybrid form of guerrilla hospitality. Ultimately the authors predict that the venue will become more important than the specific location when consumers view the landscape of the urban tourism destination. Originality/value The focus of previous academic research has been on the historic development of the micropub and its impact on regeneration and communities, but very little literature has examined the rise of the microbar and the potential implications for the urban tourism destination.

scholarly journals Accountability and responsibility defined

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 687-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Keith McGrath ◽  
Stephen Jonathan Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Governance Models ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to remove confusion surrounding the terms responsibility and accountability from the general and project management arenas by creating “refined” (with unnecessary elements removed) definitions of these terms. Design/methodology/approach A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring that there is no internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings The confusion between responsibility and accountability can be characterised as a failure to separate the obligation to satisfactorily perform a task (responsibility) from the liability to ensure that it is satisfactorily done (accountability). Furthermore, clarity of application can be achieved if legislative and organisational accountabilities are differentiated and it is recognised that accountability and responsibility transition across organisational levels. A difficulty in applying accountability in RACI tables is also resolved. Research limitations/implications Clear definition of responsibility and accountability will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the terms. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving these “refined” definitions suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definitions of responsibility and accountability in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. They can also achieve improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness in undertaking organisation-wide exercises to determine organisational responsibilities and accountabilities as well as in the application of governance models. Social implications Refined definitions of responsibility and accountability will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value Clarity resulting in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.

scholarly journals Positioning – a literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Saqib
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
Positioning Strategy ◽  
Review Question ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Review State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review state-of-the-art literature on product/brand positioning to re-examine the positioning concept and developing a more comprehensive definition from a theoretical viewpoint. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of positioning was conducted. The review conformed to a rigorous set of core principles: it was systematic (organized according to a method designed to address the review questions), transparent (explicitly stated), reproducible and updatable and synthesized (summarized the evidence relating to the review question). Findings The literature review reveals that there is lack of coherent definition for positioning, and there is no mutual agreement among marketing scholars and practitioners about the exact meaning of the concept. Therefore, comprehensive definition of positioning encompassing the five underlying positioning perspectives (competition; empty slot/mind; consumers’ perception, differentiation and competitive advantage) is suggested. Research limitations/implications This paper will be useful for academicians to analyze the current nature of academic research in this area and will provide an added advantage to managers to design and implement positioning strategies for their product/brands that will allow their organizations to gain competitive advantage. This study acknowledges limitations with respect to its exclusive search criteria, which might affect its generalizability. Social implications Position and positioning is of relevance in society in broad terms, e.g. in sports, politics and culture. Positioning strategy is discussed and implemented in different industries (business-to-business and consumer), for all kinds of brands (including, for instance, corporate brands) and for “brands” in the very widest sense (such as places or people). Originality/value This is the first systematic review of positioning that provides a detailed understanding of the current state of positioning research on a single platform and also draws a comprehensive positioning conceptualization.

scholarly journals Defining logistics preparedness: a framework and research agenda

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Jahre ◽  
Ala Pazirandeh ◽  
Luk Van Wassenhove
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Humanitarian Logistics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Common Definition ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a more complete understanding of logistics preparedness. By comparing extant research in preparedness and logistics with findings from empirical analysis of secondary data, the authors develop a definition of and framework for logistics preparedness, along with suggestions for future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach The authors link the way in which humanitarian organizations define and aim to achieve logistics preparedness with extant academic research. The authors critically analyze public data from 13 organizations that are active in disaster relief and review papers on logistics preparedness and humanitarian logistics. Findings The authors found that, despite the increased attention, there is no unified understanding across organizations about what constitutes logistics preparedness and how it can contribute to improvements in operations. Based on the review of the academic literature, the authors found that the same is true for humanitarian logistics research. The lack of a common understanding has resulted in low visibility of efforts and lack of knowledge on logistics preparedness. Research limitations/implications On the basis of extant research and practice, the authors suggest a definition of and framework for logistics preparedness with related suggestions for future studies. Practical implications Findings can help the humanitarian community gain a better understanding of their efforts related to developing logistics preparedness and can provide a better basis for communicating the need for, and results from, funding in preparedness. Social implications Results can support improvements in humanitarian supply chains, thereby providing affected people with rapid, cost-efficient, and better-adapted responses. Originality/value The findings contribute to humanitarian logistics literature, first by identifying the issues related to the lack of a common definition. Second, the authors extend the understanding of what constitutes logistics preparedness by proposing an operationalized framework and definition. Finally, the authors add to the literature by discussing what future topics and types of research may be required.

scholarly journals Stakeholder defined

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Keith McGrath ◽  
Stephen Jonathan Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
A Company ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create a “refined” (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakeholder, thereby removing confusion surrounding the use of this term from the general and project management arenas. Design/methodology/approach A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there are no unnecessary elements causing internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings The refined definitions of stake and stakeholder are in terms of an interest and activity. This avoids all extensions of meaning introduced by defining particular types of stakeholders and/ or their degrees of impact. It also resolves the multiplicity of conflicting meanings possible when silent or assumed qualifiers of a word are ignored, restricting definition to, for example, project stakeholders or stakeholders of a firm. These definitions are carried forward into a mapping of the stakeholder locus of interest on an activity rather than a company base, enabling generic categorisation of stakeholders to be proposed for use in both private and public sectors. A governance difficulty with the term customer also emerged and a resolution to this is proposed. Research limitations/implications Resolution of the academic contention around the definition of stakeholders will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the term. It can also provide clarity in governance arrangements in public and private sectors. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving this “refined” definition suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definition of stakeholder in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. Social implications A refined definition of the stakeholder concept will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value Clarity results in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.

A toolkit for women: the mis(sed) management of gender in resource industries

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 802-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Laplonge
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Human Practice ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the extent to which work on how to manage gender in resource industries fails to draw on the body of knowledge which explores gender in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores the efficacy of a recently published toolkit within the context of the current debate about gender in resource industries (such as mining, and oil and gas). Findings – The Australian Human Rights Commission’s toolkit speaks to this debate, but fails to analyse existing strategies to deal with the “gender problem”; it simply repeats them as successful examples of what to do. The authors of the toolkit also fail to ask a question which is fundamental to the success of any intervention into gender: what is the definition of “gender” on which the work is based? Originality/value – The debate about gender in resource industries fails to take into consideration contemporary ideas about gender as they have appeared in academic research and human practice.

Research trend on higher education in China for the past ten years

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuiping Kang ◽  
Gang Wang ◽  
Min Shi ◽  
Fei Sun
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Trend ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Higher Education In China ◽  
Issue Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Education In China

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the developing trend of higher pedagogy, to promote the research of higher pedagogy to be more canonical and scientific and to improve the higher education theory. Design/methodology/approach – The utility research uses a method of quantitative study, namely “content analysis”, to estimate and analyze the higher education theory literature on ten dimensionalities which include theme, author, abstract, keywords, subject, proposing of the issue, definition of key terms, research methods, conclusion, reference and annotations from 1996 to 2006 in China. Findings – The analysis of the selected 250 academic theses and reports in the field of higher education shows that academic research and theoretical standard have been improved, meanwhile academic criterion have been formed by degrees in higher pedagogy within ten years. At the same time, there are still some problems in the papers and reports the authors have selected such as title, key words, proposing of the issue, researching method and conclusion. Originality/value – This paper sums up the trend of research on higher education in China for the past ten years, and points out the problems in this trend and then proposes ways to improve the research of higher education in China.

scholarly journals Apparel recommendation system evolution: an empirical review

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Congying Guan ◽  
Shengfeng Qin ◽  
Wessie Ling ◽  
Guofu Ding
Keyword(s):  
Recommendation System ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Recommendation Systems ◽  
High Tech ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Subject Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Systems ◽  
Online Sales ◽  
New Research

Purpose With the developments of e-commerce markets, novel recommendation technologies are becoming an essential part of many online retailers’ economic models to help drive online sales. Initially, the purpose of this paper is to undertake an investigation of apparel recommendations in the commercial market in order to verify the research value and significance. Then, this paper reviews apparel recommendation techniques and systems through academic research, aiming to acquaint apparel recommendation context, summarize the pros and cons of various research methods, identify research gaps and eventually propose new research solutions to benefit apparel retailing market. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes empirical research drawing on 130 academic publications indexed from online databases. The authors introduce a three-layer descriptor for searching articles, and analyse retrieval results via distribution graphics of years, publications and keywords. Findings This study classified high-tech integrated apparel systems into 3D CAD systems, personalised design systems and recommendation systems. The authors’ research interest is focussed on recommendation system. Four types of models were found, namely clothes searching/retrieval, wardrobe recommendation, fashion coordination and intelligent recommendation systems. The forth type, smart systems, has raised more awareness in apparel research as it is equipped with advanced functions and application scenarios to satisfy customers. Despite various computational algorithms tested in system modelling, existing research is lacking in terms of apparel and users profiles research. Thus, from the review, the authors have identified and proposed a more complete set of key features for describing both apparel and users profiles in a recommendation system. Originality/value Based on previous studies, this is the first review paper on this topic in this subject field. The summarised work and the proposed new research will inspire future researchers with various knowledge backgrounds, especially, from a design perspective.

scholarly journals Knowledge payment research: status quo and key issues

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuotuo Qi ◽  
Tianmei Wang ◽  
Yanlin Ma ◽  
Xinxue Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Provider Knowledge ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Knowledge sharing has entered the stage of knowledge payment with the typical models of paid Q&A, live session, paid subscription, course column and community service. Numerous knowledge suppliers have begun to pour into the knowledge payment market, and users' willingness to pay for premium content has increased. However, the academic research on knowledge payment has just begun. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors searched several bibliographic databases using keywords such as “knowledge payment”, “paid Q&A”, “pay for answer”, “social Q&A”, “paywall” and “online health consultation” and selected papers from aspects of research scenes, research topics, etc. Finally, a total of 116 articles were identified for combing studies. Findings This study found that in the early research, scholars paid attention to the definition of knowledge payment concept and the discrimination of typical models. With the continuous enrichment of research literature, the research direction has gradually been refined into three main branches from the perspective of research objects, i.e. knowledge provider, knowledge demander and knowledge payment platform. Originality/value This paper focuses on discussing and sorting out the key research issues from these three research genres. Finally, the authors found out conflicting and contradictory research results and research gaps in the existing research and then put forward the urgent research topics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document