Hotels In Taiwan Research Articles

Empowering employees: job standardization and innovative behavior

Purpose– This study aims to explore the relationship between job standardization and employee innovative behavior, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of employee psychological empowerment. Little research has been focused on the conflicting concepts of job standardization and employee innovative behavior.Design/methodology/approach– Respondents chosen from frontline services in tourist hotels in Taiwan were used to examine the mediating and moderating roles of psychological empowerment on the established relationships between job standardization and employee innovative behavior. The results were analyzed using hierarchical regression models.Findings– The results show that job standardization had a negative effect on employee innovative behavior. In addition, employee psychological empowerment mediated the effect of job standardization on innovative behavior. Subsequently, employee psychological empowerment played a buffering role and moderated the job standardization–innovative behavior relationship.Practical implications– Hotel management needs to use both training and work process review to help employees innovate while still understanding the meaning of their work, enhancing self-efficacy, self-determination and the impact of decision-making.Originality/value– This study gives both theoretical and empirical evidence to clarify the effect of psychological empowerment on the importance of job standardization and innovative behavior in organizations. This is the only study that has investigated this topic in the hospitality field and therefore makes significant strides in understanding the impact of psychological empowerment on hotel employees’ innovative behavior.

The Study on Constructing a Curriculum Model of Hotel English for Undergraduate Hospitality Management in Taiwan

To meet the development of the international tourism market, international tourist hotels have gradually replaced tourist hotels in Taiwan. Owing to the industrial trend, foreign language proficiency, which is essentially communicative skill training required for undergraduate students/learners and industrial practitioners, has been significantly emphasized and noticed among educational institutions and hospitality industries. This study namely aimed at constructing a English curriculum model for hospitality field which infused from English for Specific Purposes. The modified Delphi technique was adopted to determine the relevant course contents of ESP curriculum model for hospitality derived from the consensus of both educators and practitioners. The results revealed that two dimensions of ESP curriculum model for hospitality field constructed as well as nine courses contained in this study respectively. Also, it appears that Taiwan’s hospitality educators and practitioners should assist students/learners to strengthen English proficiency.

Regional Traffic & Medical Services and Cost Efficiency of International Tourist Hotels in Taiwan

This study analyzes how regional public transport facilities and medical services affect the efficiency of international tourist hotels (ITHs). First, we adopt data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the cost efficiency of international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 1998 to 2009. Next, we use the truncated regression to estimate the effect of traffic convenience and medical services on cost efficiency. The distance to international airports and distance to MRT station have significantly negative effects on cost efficiency of international tourist hotels, while the distance to the freeway exit, distance to bus station, and pick-up service, chain system, and shorter operating year have significantly positive impacts on their cost efficiency. The shorter distance to the hospital and more hospitals in a region significantly improve cost efficiency of ITHs in Taiwan.

Regional Environmental Quality and Cost Efficiency of International Tourist Hotels in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to compute the cost efficiency of international tourist hotels ( ITHs) in Taiwan and analyze how regional environmental quality affects cost efficiency. The study collects a variety of operating data of international tourist hotels in Taiwan between 1998 and 2009 from the Annual Tourist Hotels Operational Analysis Report, as published by the Tourism Bureau. The data of regional environmental quality are collected from the Taiwan Environment Data Warehouse. This study first uses data envelopment analysis ( DEA) for computing cost efficiency, and then applies the truncated regression to investigate the impact of environmental indicators on cost efficiency. Namely, it is a two-stage DEA-regression method. The empirical results indicate that the density of pungent air pollutants, such as O3 and SO2, have significantly negative impacts on the cost efficiency of ITHs in Taiwan. However, the high volume of waste disposal and low recycling rate reflect a higher business activity intensity in a region, which positively enhances ITHs’ cost efficiency.

Maximum likelihood estimation of the stochastic frontier model with endogenous switching or sample selection

Heckman’s (Ann Econ Soc Meas 15:475–492, 1976; Econometrica 47(1):153–161, 1979) sample selection model has been employed in many applications of linear or nonlinear regression studies. It is well known that ignoring the sample selectivity may result in estimation bias of the estimator. Although the stochastic frontier (SF) model with sample selection has been investigated in Greene (J Product Anal 34:15–24, 2010), we intend to extend the model in several directions in this paper. First, we extend the distribution of the inefficiency from the half normal to truncated normal distribution. Second, we discuss the likelihood estimation method for the SF model with sample selection and also its most common incarnation, endogenous switching. Third, we suggest a simple framework to derive the closed form of the likelihood function using the closed skew-normal distribution. Fourth, we propose the estimator for the technical efficiency index due to Battese and Coelli (Empir Econ 20(2):325–332, 1995) based on the sample selection information. Finally, we also demonstrate the approach using the Taiwan hotel industry data.

Do ethical and sustainable practices matter?

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of Maignanet al.’s (1999) four-dimension model of corporate citizenship (based on economic, ethical, legal and discretionary responsibilities) on business performance in the hospitality sector.Design/methodology/approach– This study obtained its empirical evidence from international tourist hotels in Taiwan and applied structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses.Findings– The results show that ethical and sustainable practices of corporate citizenship have positive effects on employee affective organizational commitment, organizational innovation and customer loyalty, while affective organizational commitment, innovation and customer loyalty all have positive effects on business performance. Most important of all, bootstrap estimations based on SEM show that corporate citizenship has indirect positive effects on business performance through the mediating roles of affective organizational commitment, innovation and customer loyalty.Originality/value– While most prior studies were conducted in Western contexts, based on this work’s empirical investigation of international hotels in Taiwan, it is concluded that proactive corporate social responsibility strategies and practices, such as corporate citizenship, can ultimately increase the overall effectiveness of the hospitality industry in a Chinese context.

Research Note: Market Disequilibrium Effect on Hotel Prices

The authors reformulate the hedonic price approach by taking into account market disequilibrium in the hotel market. In the reformulated model, the imbalance between room supply and demand is incorporated into the hedonic price function. The hedonic price function for a hotel facing market disequilibrium is then estimated using data from a national panel of international tourist hotels in Taiwan during the period 1996–2008. They find that market disequilibrium has a positive and significant effect on room rates of tourist hotels in Taiwan; that is, an increase in excess demand may significantly raise the room rates. The effects of other physical attributes of hotels on room rates are also discussed.

Practical application of importance-performance analysis in determining critical job satisfaction factors of a tourist hotel

The service profit chain theory suggests that the satisfied employee delivered customer satisfaction and profit for service businesses. Competition between tourist hotels in Taiwan remains strong, as trips by foreign visitors are increasing year after year. One of the critical factors that differentiate whether or not a hotel can be profitable is the revenue per employee. Satisfied employees whose organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is high will generate a higher ratio of revenue per employee. This study explores the key factors that effectively drive job satisfaction of the employees in an international tourist hotel. The study collected 474 valid employee responses. It applied an importance-performance analysis (IPA), using the self-explained matrix, which indicated that compensation was the top issue to be addressed, followed by work environment, interpersonal relationship, and supervision. Based on the research results, the author discusses some useful implications.

Activity outsourcing and competitive strategy in the hotel industry. The moderator role of asset specificity

This paper analyzes hotel outsourcing from the perspective of the competitive strategy and asset specificity. A comprehensive model is developed to establish the relationships among the competitive strategy (cost leadership and differentiation strategies), asset specificity and activity outsourcing. Asset specificity is used as a moderator variable in the relationship between the competitive strategy and activity outsourcing. A specificity-outsourcing matrix is developed to classify the activities by their level of asset specificity and outsourcing. The main hotel activities are investigated in a representative sample of hotels in Taiwan. The findings indicate that the cost leadership strategy positively and partially influences outsourcing, while the differentiation strategy has a negative impact on outsourcing an activity. The results confirm the negative relationship between asset specificity and the level of activity outsourcing. Moreover, they show that asset specificity positively moderates the relationship between the competitive strategy and outsourcing.

Re-examining the market structure effects on hotel performance using market share inequality

Previous studies have suggested that the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) does not adequately account for market structure. To remedy this problem, this article further decomposes the HHI into two components: the number of competitors and market share inequality. Using the metropolitan-level data of tourist hotels in Taiwan, this article estimates the effect of these variables on hotels’ profits. This article shows that while a single measure of the HHI does not have a significant effect on hotels’ profits, decomposing HHI leads to different results. It shows that increasing the number of competitors may improve hotels’ profitability, and by contrast, greater inequalities in market shares may be detrimental to the profit in the room market.

Tourist Preferences and Cost Efficiency of International Tourist Hotels in Taiwan

This paper analyzes the effects of tourist nationality sources on international tourist hotels’ (ITHs) cost efficiency in Taiwan and the factors affecting a tourist’s choice of a hotel. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is used to compute cost efficiency scores of 61 ITHs in Taiwan during 1998-2007. The number of Asian, North American, Japanese, and local tourists has significantly positive effects on cost efficiency, but the number of overseas Chinese has a negative effect on cost efficiency. The number of tourists of other nationalities has no influence on cost efficiency. Generally, most tourists in Taiwan prefer a larger, older, and closer-to-airport hotel. This study also finds that the chain system, the number of scenic spots surrounding hotels, and the ratio of individual tourists all significantly improve the cost efficiency of ITHs in Taiwan.

Research Note: Revenue and Labour Demand in the Hotel Industry: An Investigation of Endogeneity

This paper investigates the effect of hotel room revenue on labour demand based on data for international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Past empirical research on the relationship between hotel room revenue and labour demand has failed to take into account the fact that the causality between these two variables can be a two-way rather than just a one-way relationship. In other words, room revenue can affect labour demand and vice versa. The authors address this issue by using an instrumental variables (IV) regression approach in which room revenue and hotel labour demand can be determined simultaneously. The empirical results indicate that a failure to account for the two-way causality will underestimate the effect of room revenue on labour demand. The findings are of particular importance to hotel managers as the authors provide more accurate estimates for the relationship between hotel room revenue and labour demand.

Becoming an ambidextrous hotel: The role of customer orientation

Because competitive pressure in the hotel industry continues to increase, hotels have to develop service innovation (i.e., exploration) and service improvement (i.e., exploitation) capacities to become ambidextrous for continually creating customer value. In this study, a theory of the effect of customer orientation on service innovation and service improvement, which facilitates service quality and results in better market performance, was developed and investigated. By analyzing the data provided by senior executives and department managers from 126 hotels in Taiwan, both service innovation and service improvement were revealed to partially mediate the relationship between customer orientation and market performance. The results imply that customer orientation affects the market performance of a hotel through the development of service capabilities, and that customer orientation can transform a hotel into an ambidextrous hotel by concurrently developing service innovation and service improvement capacities.

Using Modified IPA to Improve Service Quality of Standard Hotel in Taiwan

The purpose of this paper is to establish the modified IPA (Importance-Performance Analysis) methodology for service quality characteristics and improvements in the hotel industry. Traditional IPA methodology has its shortcoming as it assumes that importance-performance is a normal distribution. However, if that is not the case, the traditional IPA model cannot correctly identify the priority for improvements. Therefore, this paper runs Box-Cox Transformation to convert data into normal distributions, in order to perform statistical analyses and comparisons on a like- for-like basis. This approach avoids the potential problem of the IPA model but maintains its simple and intuitive decision-making model. This paper examines standard hotels and performs literature reviews and experts’ interviews in order to establish the list of service quality characters for the hotel industry. It also conducts a survey to illustrate the application and benefits of the modified IPA method, so as to identify the key characteristics of the service quality and the ways to improve service quality of standard hotels.

Developing service innovation capability in the hotel industry

Service innovation capability is crucial for an international hotel to acquire a competitive advantage, which enables the hotel to respond to or exceed customer expectations for novel and unique services. Service innovation capability is deemed contributive to hotels’ competitive advantages, however, research exploring the ways of improving service innovation capability is scant. In addition, while social capital cultivates the power of innovation, research on the process of transforming available resources embedded in social interaction into actual service innovation capability is limited as well. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of social capital on service innovation capability through knowledge sharing in the hotel industry. Using samples from the international tourist hotels in Taiwan, results of this study show that knowledge sharing mediates the effects of social capital on service innovation capability. Knowledge sharing is a mechanism for transforming the innovation potential of social capital into actual service innovation capability. Based on the findings, the implications and research directions are then discussed.

Cost Efficiency and the Choice of Operation Type: Evidence from Taiwan's International Tourist Hotels

This study investigated the endogenous relationship between the differences in cost efficiency and hotel owners' choices of either remaining an independently operated establishment or joining an international chain. We applied observations of 72 international tourist hotels in Taiwan from 1997 to 2008 to a simultaneous equations model with qualitative and limited dependent variables. The study results suggest that joining international chains significantly improves cost efficiency. We also found that net gains from improving both cost efficiency and hotel location are the two foremost determinants for an owner's decision to join an international hotel chain.

Carbon dioxide emissions generated by energy consumption of hotels and homestay facilities in Taiwan

In the field of the tourism, hotels and homestay facilities account for considerable amounts of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This study presents an investigation conducted on the CO2 emissions from four types of hotel in Taiwan. According to the results, the average CO2 emissions of international tourist hotels, standard tourist hotels, general hotels, and homestay facilities are 28.9, 19.2, 12.5, and 6.3 kg-CO2/person-night, respectively. Hotels with higher service levels produce higher average CO2 emissions per person-night. Analytical results indicate that increasing stays at hotels with low CO2 emissions (such as homestay facilities and general hotels), accommodating more guests together per room, and enhancing energy usage efficiency, can effectively reduce hotel CO2 emissions without reducing the total number of guests. The results of this study may be applied to CO2 reduction programmes for tourists, hotel enterprises, and contribute toward the formulation of government policy in Taiwan.

Establishing attributes of an environmental management system for green hotel evaluation

This study establishes attributes of an environmental management system (EMS) for the hotel industry in Taiwan to create an instrument to help address green hotel auditing. Hotel EMS indicators were initially selected from ISO14000 and nine representative foreign green hotel assessment systems. The Delphi method conducted on twenty five experts with government officials, scholars and hotel managers for item modification to identify the preliminary EMS evaluation framework. An indicator selection process was employed to determine the dimensional indicators of the system. The data analysis reveals that a total of 64 indicators into ten dimensions were identified and prioritized in terms of their relative importance and feasibility. Moreover, 38 indicators are suitable for use and 18 of them should be implemented firstly in Taiwan hotel industry. The results also reveal the comparison with Taiwan government's environmental standards. Finally the EMS approach of this study provides managerial implications for government, hoteliers and consumers to improve their environmental management.

Two-Stage Evaluation of International Tourist Hotels in Taiwan Using Data Envelopment Analysis

This study used the 2010 data of five-star international tourism hotels in Taiwan and the data envelopment analysis method to evaluate the operating efficiency of various international tourism hotels, expecting to provide a reference to tourists and relevant units. According to findings of this study, in the case of using the single-stage DEA model, the overall efficiency value of 12 DMUs was 1. In the case of using the production efficiency evaluation DEA calculation, the overall efficiency value of seven hotels was 1, and in the case of using the Stage II investment efficiency evaluation DEA calculation, the overall efficiency value of eight hotels was 1. The management matrix could classify 25 international tourism hotels into four types, depending on different attributes, to provide a reference for company improvement. The evaluation model using the two-stage DEA could help to measure the performance of a company's operations and understand different aspects of the various stages of operation. The research findings could be provided to relevant regulatory authorities and investors as a decision-making reference. More importantly, they could be reference indicators for the business management of various international tourism hotels.

Investigating the wellness tourism factors in hot spring hotel customer service

Purpose – This study aims to establish customer service factors for wellness tourism from both service providers and customer perspectives, and to determine whether gender and age factors affect older tourist opinions of customer service. Design/methodology/approach – The authors interviewed 13 experts in the hot spring hotel industry and more than 469 hot spring hotel visitors who are over 50 years of age. Content validity and homogeneity reliability as proposed by Aiken were used to confirm customer service factors. This study uses the verbal-linguistic evaluation to assess customer service factors and each service item associated with these factors. Findings – Eight crucial customer service factors, from high to low, are personnel services, environments, healthy diet, relaxation, health promotion treatments, experience of unique tourism resources, social activities, and mental learning. Research limitations/implications – This study implicated allocation and management of input resources as the service factors that are used for determining the preferences of older consumers in wellness tourism. Originality/value – Numerous countries are currently facing an aging population and market opportunities for wellness tourism are popular with the tourism industry. Studies show that enhanced customer service increases competitive advantage in the tourism industry. However, customer service differs from what customers prefer. For this study, the authors compiled the viewpoints of older consumers, hotel personnel, and expert opinions in the hotel industry to identify customer-service factors in wellness tourism. The analytical results of this study suggest that hot spring hotels in Taiwan can focus on critical customer-service items, resource management, and resource allocation.