Service quality ideals among hospitality industry employees

Abstract

Service quality issues are an important yet relatively neglected area in tourism and hospitality research. This study has investigated personality needs, work motivators and industry employment interest together with hospitality industry service quality ideals among a sample of Australian hospitality industry employees. The need for achievement was found to be the most prominent personality variable, whereas accomplishment was the major hospitality industry work motivator. Higher levels of hospitality industry service quality ideals were found to be associated with higher levels of the need for achievement, lower levels of the need for autonomy together with higher levels of management and accomplishment motivation. Female hospitality industry employees were found more likely to be associated with higher levels of hospitality industry service quality ideals. When the personality, motivation and work interest variables were combined as a set of predictor variables, it was found that the need for achievement and accomplishment motivation were the prominent predictors of high hospitality industry service quality ideals. Implications of these findings for both employees and employers within the hospitality industry are examined.