Hotels In Taiwan Research Articles

Identifying the attributes of blue ocean strategies in hospitality

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of a blue ocean strategy (BOS) in selected hotels in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interviews and the grounded theory approach were applied in this study. A total of 32 senior and top managers working in the corporate executive office and the divisions of rooms and marketing were selected from international tourist chain hotels and resorts for semi‐structured interviews.FindingsThe results show that the features of BOS are identifying guest value perceptions, innovating distinctive added‐value offerings, developing new market segments, branding and re‐branding, creating a unique hotel ambience, adjusting distribution channels, and establishing strategic alliances.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that in the sampled hotels, hoteliers should integrate a demand‐based pricing strategy with a supply‐based product‐development strategy. Organizational effectiveness could be further advanced in those hotels by the introduction of revenue management based on the determination of variations in guest demand, making it possible to offer different pricing strategies to diverse market segments.Originality/valueThe results show that the sampled hotels should be able to create unique products and services for customers that strengthen their competitive positions in the marketplace of international tourist hotels in Taiwan. This study advances academic knowledge in the field of organizational effectiveness, particularly with respect to managing customer demand and capacity in the hotel industry.

Maximum likelihood estimation of seemingly unrelated stochastic frontier regressions

In this paper, we propose the copula-based maximum likelihood (ML) approach to estimate the multiple stochastic frontier (SF) models with correlated composite errors. The motivation behind the extension to system of SF regressions is analogous to the classical generalization to system of seemingly unrelated regressions (Zellner in J Am Statist Assoc 57:348–368, 1962). A demonstration of the copula approach is provided via the analysis of a system of two SF regressions. The consequences of ignoring the correlation between the composite errors are examined by a Monte Carlo experiment. Our findings suggest that the stronger the correlation between the two SF regressions, the more estimation efficiency is lost in separate estimations. Estimation without considering the correlated composite errors may cause significantly efficiency loss in terms of mean squared errors in estimation of the SF technical efficiency. Finally, we also conduct an empirical study based on Taiwan hotel industry data, focusing on the SF regressions for the accommodation and restaurant divisions. Our results, which are consistent with the findings in simulation, show that joint estimation is significantly different from separate estimation without considering the correlated composite errors in the two divisions.

Input-Process-Output of Hotel Training in Taiwan

Training is generally considered the important part in the hotel industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the training input, training process and training output in international tourist hotels in Taiwan. The research samples included five human resource managers, 61 department managers, 62 trainers and 497 trainees of the five selected hotels in Taiwan during April and May 2010. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, frequencies analysis, Cronbach's alpha and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the collected data. The results indicate that the surveyed hotels devote funds to carry out training courses and their trainers have high levels of capability to train. In addition, the results show the trainees' highest level of education and their study major have a statistically significant impact on: the training course arrangement satisfaction; and knowledge and skills gained after the training. The findings of the research could serve as usable guidelines for hotel practitioners when planning and conducting training. The implications and suggestions for future study are also stated at the end of the study.

Factors influencing the implementation of food safety control systems in Taiwanese international tourist hotels

The aim of this study was to analyze food safety control systems (FSCS) in selected hotels in Taiwan in order to identify current issues and future trends in the hotel industry. Fourteen interviews were conducted with personnel in six large international tourist hotels with a FSCS in place. Analysis of the interviews indicated that a hotel's food safety standards and operations depended significantly on the attitudes of the hotel management. Public concern, competitive advantage and the government's food safety policies all had less influence on the implementation and maintenance of a FSCS than the ongoing support of management. Hotel managements hope, therefore, that the government will educate the public on food safety and provide incentives that enable hotels to adopt FSCS strategies while reducing the cost. The study contributes to the development of theory relating to the implementation of food safety strategies, particularly for the hotel industry.

An examination of the operating efficiency of international tourist hotels in Taiwan and associated factors

This study examines the operating efficiency of international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to evaluate the relative efficiency management of chain and independent tourist hotels based on data from 2006 and 2007, allowing for the comparison of competitiveness between the different categories of international tourist hotels. Tobit regression analysis is used to assess whether factors such as the operating model and guest nationality have a significant impact on the operating efficiency, providing a basis for true improvement. Research results show that chain and independent international tourist hotels have exhibited significant improvements in terms of scale efficiency. While independently operated tourist hotels did improve significantly in overall efficiency and pure management efficiency, chain tourist hotels did not show significant improvements in these measures. In terms of the impact of environmental variables on efficiency, the hotel-operating model and guest nationality did have a significant positive impact on the overall efficiency. Key words: Efficiency, data envelopment analysis, Tobit regression analysis.

A study of the influence of organizational change on organizational performances of listed tourist hotels in Taiwan: Using organizational commitment as the mediating variable

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of organizational change on organizational performance of listed tourist hotels in Taiwan using organizational commitment as the mediating variable. By convenience sampling to select employees from Taiwan’s listed tourist hotels, this study applied the method of structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the goodness-of-fit of the overall model, structural model and measurement model. This study focused on the path coefficients between “implicit variables” (also known as unobservable variables) of the structural model, and the Bayesian estimation was used to test the significance of the structural model’s direct effect, mediating effect and total effect. Findings from this study include: (1) organizational change does have a positively direct influence on organizational performance, but insignificantly; (2) the organizational change has a significantly positive influence on organizational commitment as well as on the organizational performance. Generally, organizational commitment does have a “fully” mediating effect. Key words: Organizational change, organizational performance, organizational commitment.

Effect of internal marketing on knowledge sharing and organisational effectiveness in the hotel industry

The purpose of this empirical study was to examine and justify the concept that knowledge management needs to be brought into the internal marketing (IM) field, and to investigate how communication media affect knowledge sharing (KS) and organisational effectiveness (OE). This empirical research concerns 499 usable questionnaires from employees of globally managed or franchised hotels in Taiwan. Structural equation modelling results show that the communication media of IM campaigns – conversation – significantly affected KS. This enables front-line employees to provide the right company offerings to external customers at their first encounter. Furthermore, it contributes to the reinforcement of employee competencies and enhances the quality of customer service during the service encounter and, thus, can provide a sustained advantage in market competitiveness and OE.

What Does Hotel Website Content Say About a Property—An Evaluation of Upscale Hotels in Taiwan and China

ABSTRACT Websites are important platforms for hotel Internet marketing. Website content can directly influence customer preferences and decisions. This study proposes a comprehensive model, which is more objective and valid than others, to evaluate 158 hotel websites in Taiwan and China according to three dimensions: feature breadth, stage of website development, and feature enrichment. The samples came from four different types of hotels: Taiwanese international tourist hotels, Taiwanese ordinary tourist hotels, Chinese five-star hotels, and Chinese four-star hotels. We find that these four types of hotels emphasize features on their websites differently and that the degree of website robustness ranks as follows: Taiwanese international tourist hotels, Taiwanese ordinary tourist hotels, Chinese five-star hotels, and Chinese four-star hotels. Managerial implications and suggestions are also proposed.

Does Cost Efficiency Lead to Better Financial Performance? A Study on Taiwan International Tourist Hotels

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the link between cost efficiency and financial performance as it pertains to the hotel industry. This study employs the data envelopment analysis approach to estimate cost efficiency and uses three traditional financial indicators—the ratio of net operating profit before taxes, the ratio of earnings before taxes, and return on assets before taxes—to measure financial performance. Data were generated from 68 international tourist hotels in Taiwan from 1997 to 2006. The major finding indicates that cost efficiency is insignificantly associated with the financial performance regardless of the financial performance variable used. The implications of the findings and the limitations of the study are discussed, and future research directions are addressed.

The causality examination between demand uncertainty and hotel failure: A case study of international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The hotel business is highly sensitive to economic cycles, as the industry faces high frequency and high fluctuation of uncertainty over the demand for lodging services. Without a thorough consideration on the issue, hotels may undergo a business crisis. This research therefore investigates the influence of demand uncertainty on hotel failure by using the operation data of international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 1995–2008. The analysis applies two stages of estimation. The first stage employs a first-order autoregressive model, AR(1), to model lodging demand uncertainty. The second stage estimates the likelihood of hotels’ failure by using a logit model. The results are supportive to determine that the demand uncertainty causes hotel failures.

Risks and Benefits of Outsourcing Hotel Operations: A Comparison between Scotland and Taiwan

This paper examines the use of outsourcing in the activities comprising hotel operations in Scotland and Taiwan. Outsourcing is a key process integrated into the design of the supply chain management. The research also focuses on empirically identifying the role of the outsourcing strategy in hotels. To this end, the authors propose two hypotheses to study the relationship between the benefits and risks of outsourcing and the tendency to use third-party organizations. These hypotheses are analysed and tested in the two regions. The study was conducted on a representative sample of 118 hotels in Scotland and Taiwan. A questionnaire was used to obtain the findings. The results indicate that the principal candidates for outsourcing are the activities requiring technical skills and those services not involving direct contact with guests. No significant differences were found between the current levels of outsourcing in Scottish and Taiwanese hotels. The findings indicate that a stronger perception of the risks and benefits of outsourcing has a greater influence on outsourcing strategy. Furthermore, in the case of Scottish hotels, it is the benefits that determine the level of outsourcing, while it is the risks that do so in Taiwanese hotels. This work contributes to the literature on outsourcing from a services perspective.

Job stress and well-being of female employees in hospitality: The role of regulatory leisure coping styles

The job stress and coping behavior of female employees has become a key issue in the hospitality industry. This study investigates the moderating role of regulatory leisure coping styles on the effect of job stress on female employees’ well-being. Specifically, this study extends Patry et al.’s (2007) findings to further confirm the direct and moderating role of regulatory leisure coping styles in the relationship between job stress and well-being. Data were collected from the female employees of 22 tourist hotels in Taiwan. The results showed that the Planned-Breather Leisure Coping Style (PBLCS) was positively and significantly associated with well-being, whereas the Avoidant Leisure Coping Style (ALCS) had a negative and significant effect on it. In addition, the results also revealed that the PBLCS plays a buffering role, but that the ALCS plays an amplifying role. Based on these findings, the implications and research suggestions are then discussed.

Benefits of Cross-Functional Training: Three Departments of Hotel Line Supervisors in Taiwan

This study examines five important beneficial factors of cross-functional training for frontline supervisors in front office, restaurant and housekeeping departments in a sample of international tourist hotels in Taiwan. The research initially involved a Delphi technique with a panel of industrial experts and scholars to identify industrial domain skills and define multiskilled employees in the Taiwanese hotel context. A survey was then constructed and t test was used to explore any significant differences between multiskilled line supervisors and nonmultiskilled line supervisors. Five beneficial factors, namely service quality, retention, job satisfaction, higher payment and promotion, were examined in the study. Findings reveal that four of these factors are significant for front office and restaurant line supervisors, and two factors are significant for housekeeping line supervisors. These findings provide some useful ideas for attracting and retaining staff in Taiwanese hotels.

The evaluation mode of hotel housekeeping management

The housekeeping department must satisfy the customers’ requirements and provide the customers services at any time in 24 hours; therefore, it needs a large number of employees. The salary expenditure is really huge, along with the consumption of room material and supplies, and cleaning products. These are considered as a hotel’s important expenditure based on cost calculation, thus, this department can affect the hotel’s income and expenses directly. When the housekeeping quality is fixed, the faster is the housekeeping efficiency, the lower is the required personnel cost; hence, the housekeeping efficiency is one of the important indexes that influence the hotel’s business performance. However, until now, there are no relevant studies that discuss the housekeeping efficiency measurement issue completely. For this reason, this study proposes a housekeeping efficiency index for hotel owners to evaluate their housekeeping efficiency objectively. Besides, we deduce the statistical properties of housekeeping efficiency index, and construct the evaluation mode of housekeeping efficiency; finally, a hotel in Central Taiwan is used as an example to explore its housekeeping efficiency. Key words: Hotel housekeeping management, housekeeping efficiency index, cost.

Facebook as international eMarketing strategy of Taiwan hotels

Taiwan hotels need to focus on international eMarketing because these cater to international travelers, especially with leisure travelers expected to increase in the coming years. Facebook offers a wide range of opportunities for the international eMarketing of hotels. Investigation of the current use of Facebook, as an international eMarketing tool, by six large hotels in Taiwan showed presence in Facebook and use of basic features. However, the use of different Facebook features varied. While the hotels were able to connect with international leisure travelers via Facebook for the communication of marketing messages, the reach is limited to Chinese-speaking users using Chinese as the primary language, even for hotel pages accessible through English accounts. Language use also limited interaction in spreading the message virally to the wider international leisure travelers. Employing options to accommodate English and even other languages by selecting from available language support options can enhance international eMarketing via Facebook of hotels.

Factorial validation of hospitality service attitude

Numerous studies have shown that service attitude is a cornerstone of the client's perception of service quality. However, little research has explored the construct of service attitude from the customers’ perspective. This study collected data from two sets of samples consisting of 448 customers from international hotels in Taiwan. Through a rigorous process, the results testify service attitude, the most frequently mentioned sub-dimension of interaction quality, and conclude its four dimensions: Problem-solving, empathy, enthusiasm, and friendliness. Implications for practical applications and research limitations are also provided.

Influence of Uncertain Demand on Product Variety: Evidence from the International Tourist Hotel Industry in Taiwan

Hotels provide many different types of rooms in terms of capacity as well as quality to diversify their products. This paper examines the relationship of uncertain demand and product variety by using monthly operation data from international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 2007–2009. First, the authors apply the two-stage least squares (2SLS) and random-coefficients models to estimate the demand function in Taiwan's international tourist hotel industry. They then examine the relationship between uncertain demand and product variety. The empirical results indicate that the market's uncertain demand significantly induces the hotels to expand their product variety.

Analysis of career competency of food and beverage managers in international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to establish indicators of career competencies of food and beverage managers in international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Panel discussions and the Delphi technique were adopted. Two panel discussions were conducted with a total of 11 industry experts and seven academic experts. The framework of career competencies was established based on these experts’ opinions. Delphi questionnaires were sent to 23 experts 13 in the hospitality industry and ten academic experts to collect data. By using such questionnaire twice, the 23 panelists reached a stable consensus. The results indicate career competencies include two categories: (1) career planning and development, and (2) core employability. The data demonstrated that the core employability competency was slightly more important for an individual's career development than the career development and planning competency.

Promoting service-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors in hotels: The role of high-performance human resource practices and organizational social climates

Integrating social exchange and information processing theories, this study examines the influence of high-performance human resource (HR) practices on service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) through two climates—justice climate and service climate. This field study of 1133 customer contact employees and 119 human resource managers from 119 hotels in Taiwan has shown that social climates of justice and service mediate the influence of high-performance HR practices on service-oriented OCB. The study demonstrates that high-performance HR practices affect employees’ cognition on how they are treated by hotels and what service behaviors are expected, which in turn can positively influence collective service-oriented OCB.

Qualitative examination of employee turnover and retention strategies in international tourist hotels in Taiwan

In past decades, high employee turnover has been an important issue for many hoteliers and a focus of academic interest. Although hoteliers often use retention techniques to retain capable employees, the turnover rate remains high. The purpose of this study was to explore determinants of management-level employee turnover and to identify existing practices in human resource retention strategies. In this study, interviews with Taiwan hotel workers revealed that more than 80% of respondents had resigned from a job to pursue career advancement while 70% had experienced recruitment propositions from other hotels. Another factor of turnover may be that relating to differences between expectations and reality. This study indicates that managers need to understand more fully the needs of subordinates when providing career advice, and relevant training programs should be introduced to enhance career opportunities.