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This exploratory study employed the values, attitudes, and behavior (VAB) framework to test Hofstede’s cultural values, state-level ethnocentrism (state brand consumption), and identity (state pride) on intent to support ag-related products in the context of a state operated agricultural marketing program (SOAMP). Results (N = 259) showed collectivism and long term orientation have a positive influence on consumers’ attitudes. State brand consumption was found to be the strongest predictor of intent to purchase local food products, while state pride had a mild level of predictability. Practical implications for food and beverage retailers, hospitality marketers and ag-related government agencies are provided.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the relationships between older travelers’ self-determined motivations, memorable travel experiences and overall satisfaction with educational holidays. This study also examined the mediating effects of memorable travel experiences on the relationships between motivations and overall satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach An integrative model using a pre-post travel approach was used as the framework for this study. A total of 361 valid pre- and post-travel surveys were gathered from Australians 50 years or older who participated in educational tour packages. Findings Results found “personal development” and “learning” dimensions of intrinsic self-determined motivations were the main decision making factors for older adults to engage in educational tourism. “Learning” was the main driver to influence memorable experiences and overall satisfaction. Findings also revealed “local culture” and “excitement” dimensions of memorable experiences were found to influence their overall satisfaction with the trip. These two dimensions were found to be significant factors that partially mediated the relationship between intrinsic motivation (“learning”) and overall satisfaction. Originality/value This study contributed to developing a theoretical framework that assessed antecedents and outcomes of older adults’ motivations and travel-related behaviors.

As restaurants are the primary hospitality business represented on flash-sale sites, this study examined motivations of restaurant managers when choosing whether to utilize the promotional mediums of flash-sales. Interviews were administered as a measurement instrument. Results demonstrated restaurants which have employed flash-sales are weary of the likelihood of success and believe the flash-sales brought in established customers. Non-users indicated hesitation towards adoption of flash-sales related to low profit margins per item in their operation and the percentage split of the sale price between the firm and flash-sale provider. Findings provide keen foundational insight into the flashsale phenomenon.

The rapid expansion of the hotel industry in Mainland China has precipitated an increased need for hiring Western expatriate managers, especially among multinational brands. The consequences of expatriate failure are well studied and are of vital concern among stakeholders, necessitating a deeper understanding of Chinese norms. Prior justice research in China has recommended the inclusion of Chinese societal protocols, such as face protection and conflict avoidance, as predictors of Interactional Justice. The current study has added to the literature the importance of understanding face conflict avoidance styles as a precursor to Western expatriate managerial success.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence travelers’ decision-making process while searching and booking hotel deals. This study indicated that consumers’ cognition directly and significantly influenced their intent to book hotel deals. Although consumers’ affection did not have a positive and significant influence on booking intentions in general, consumers’ tendency toward being a market maven moderated the effect in consumers’ emotions of deal-searching. The findings suggested that hospitality marketers should develop promotional messages that are tailored to evoke consumers’ cognitive and affective states in terms of their tendency to be a market maven.

Amidst a growing industry, foodservice professionals are seeking certifications to differentiate themselves from the competition. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) provides the most comprehensive culinary certification program in the United States, promoting professional development through specialized training in the culinary arts. Proponents of the ACF certification program boast benefits such as increased pay and prestige. However, there has been limited research focusing on the relationship between professional foodservice certifications and perceived career success. This study examined the relationships between culinary certifications and objective (i.e. salary) and subjective (i.e. job satisfaction, self-efficacy) indicators of career success.

Previous research has indicated that gender is an imperative factor that influences consumers’ online purchasing behavior. The traditional view of gender differences in consumer behavior states that females are influenced by emotional gratification and seek promotions more frequently than males. This study aimed to investigate whether gender differences existed in deal-hunting behavior during the hotel booking process. The research model was structured to understand the factors that influence consumers to search and book hotel deals. A total of 603 completed online questionnaires were collected. Results showed there were significant differences between females’ and males’ deal-searching behavior and purchase intentions. Male consumers were likely influenced by emotional gratification, such as feeling excited about finding a good deal online. Alternatively, female consumers were not influenced by affection but by their cognitive evaluation. In addition, male and female consumers demonstrated different pref...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the experiences of international volunteer tourists, or voluntourists, to Botswana. Wildlife conservation, health education and orphanage voluntourists are examined specifically. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected through interviews with tourists who had completed or were in the midst of volunteer experiences. Findings – Findings revealed that international voluntourism opportunities in Botswana are challenging to locate and leave volunteers questioning their impact. Some of the difficulties associated with voluntourism in Botswana included the need for volunteers to pay to participate, the concern regarding whether volunteers were depriving locals of employment opportunities, hesitation about the authenticity of the experience and the lack of community ownership. Practical implications – This paper will be beneficial to industry practitioners as it details the challenges associated with international voluntourism and provides suggestions for ways to attract volunteers, engage them in the process and ensure both the organization and tourist have a positive and useful experience. Originality/value – The increased interest in international voluntourism is a trend which is unlikely to decelerate in the coming years. This paper advances the knowledge on voluntourism operations in Botswana which may be valuable to tourists, students, academicians, government policymakers and industry practitioners alike.

Hospitality management programs, similar to other fields within higher education, are faced with numerous challenges including decreased funding and competition for students.In an effort to boost enrollment, researchers suggest a transformation of higher education, placing students at the center of these initiatives.With a focus on service, particularly student-staff interactions, knowledgeable and experienced faculty have been shown to increase perceived service quality. This research sought to quantify students’ perspectives regarding the importance of faculty members’ hospitality industry experience in an effort to meet expectations, which may translate into greater undergraduate enrollment, retention and graduation rates. A large sample (n = 1130) of undergraduates from the U.S. participated in the study from hospitality programs ranging under 500 to over 1000 students.

Exponential growth in the Chinese hospitality industry has fueled an overabundance of hotel job opportunities. The unintended consequences of an untrained workforce have posed a serious challenge to hospitality managers. Western hotel managers are hired for their special knowledge and expertise, and due to a lack of preparation and cultural training, they experience high assignment failure rates. Using the leveraging leader–member exchange theory, this qualitative study collected data from primary sources and revealed key emergent issues facing Western expatriate hotel managers working in China today. Productive culture-specific tactics for Western expatriate managers were offered to enhance team performance.

A substantial body of empirical research exists on the topic of online teaching and learning; however, few qualitative studies have been conducted examining the deeper reasons for teaching online and no studies of this type have been performed in the hospitality discipline. This research sought to understand the subjective norms influencing hospitality faculty to teach online. Data were coded according to TAM2 constructs and sub-coded revealing emergent themes. Findings demonstrated hospitality faculty’s propensity for blended learning as well as other strategies for improved online instruction.

Despite the popularity and growth of online courses in hospitality higher education, there still exists ambivalence toward this form of course delivery. Greater scheduling flexibility and accommodation of an ever-growing population of nontraditional students are presented as sup-porting online course adoption in programs still apprehensive toward this form of instruction.Given the pervasive nature and accessibility of Internet-based learning, this study utilized the technology acceptance model to determine the academic referent group influences on students’intentions to enroll in an online course. Findings revealed plausible referent group influences that could be leveraged to encourage students to enroll in an online course, which would ultimately facilitate a positive learning experience.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify whether travel and tourism related web sites derive a certain personality type.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the ten‐item personality inventory (TIPI) measure to assess personality dimensions of 188 tourism web sites including airlines, hotels, cruise lines, casinos, restaurants, and government funded travel web sites. Data analysis of 413 cases was conducted through mean comparisons and ANOVA.FindingsData identified web sites representing different segments of the hospitality and tourism industries do vary in relation to online personalities. More specifically, web sites for venues such as casinos were represented as extraverted while lodging web sites were deemed more conscientious.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study aimed to identify web site personalities of businesses within the tourism segment, not all categories were represented. Furthermore, response choices were limited only 20 of the personality objectives from the TIPI personality scale were examined.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrated different personality characteristics are represented through tourism web sites, indicating providers may need to focus their web presence in a manner which engages potential travellers based on such features.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the body of scholarly research related to TIPI and further demonstrates consumer awareness and preference for web sites which augment their personality.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how effectively hotels are using Facebook as a marketing tool and how consumers are interacting with the property by measuring the number of fans, customer comments, and accuracy of information provided. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based upon a content analysis, inquiring into 100 hotels' Facebook pages. Findings – Findings demonstrate that the use of Facebook features by hotels varied widely. Some hotels utilize Facebook solely as a means for posting property information, whereas others focus on facilitating customer engagement. Research limitations/implications – Literature related to the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool within the hospitality industry is severely limited, thus this research highlights the challenges some hotels are experiencing with maximizing the reach of their Facebook pages, suggests possible approaches for improvement and makes recommendations for structuring social networking strategies. Practical i...

It is estimated almost half of the current hospitality educators in the United States will be retiring within the next 10 years. In their place, the junior faculty who remain, as well as new hires, will have substantially less industry experience than their predecessors. This research sought to determine the perceptions of both hospitality students and faculty regarding the importance of faculty industry experience. The findings of this study are valuable to administrators who wish to maintain rigor within their academic programs and thus may serve as a benchmark for future hiring purposes.

The rapid growth of online learning in higher education has been met with varying degrees of acceptance among faculty and administrators. Although hospitality management instructors recognize the prominence of online learning as the future of higher education, their current apprehensions may hinder institutional strategic objectives. This study examined hospitality instructors' intentions to teach an online course, using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), deconstructing subjective norms into student, colleague, and department chair influences. The findings from this research will be useful to program administrators who seek to encourage hospitality faculty to teach online courses.

The convention industry continues to suffer from a lack of qualified professionals; a phenomenon which persists due to increasing demand for personnel as a result of more meeting facilities, a growing number of events held annually, and the aging of current employees. The high costs associated with hiring and training new employees makes convention firms hesitant to employ inexperienced individuals. Recent college graduates often fall into this category as they have limited work experience and field knowledge. This study was designed to articulate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for students to be successful in convention management positions. Results of the data analysis yielded five pillars of human resource needs in the convention industry; notably: planning skills, professionalism, work ethic, personality traits, and self management. Details of these pillars are presented, along with recommendations for future research.

This study proposes and tests the influence of the cruise ship brand equity model on behavioral intentions by utilizing the constructs of brand loyalty, image, awareness, message, and perceived quality. The study found overall that brand loyalty and perceived quality were most influential on the behavioral intentions of cruise passengers. Specifically, repeat purchase intentions, the likelihood of recommending the brand to others, and brand preference were found to be significant in the model. The finding is consistent with extant literature which credits brand loyalty with being the most influential variable on cruise passenger's behavioral intentions. Brand image was the most highly correlated construct with behavioral intentions and was found to lack discriminant validity although theory distinguishes the two as separate constructs. The results from this study may be useful to cruise line corporations, particularly in formulating successful marketing campaigns and in encouraging relationship b...

In an effort to keep abreast of convention industry demands for a more qualified workforce, some hospitality and tourism undergraduate programs have implemented courses to prepare students for employment in the business. However, limited information exists regarding the content and quality of these programs and whether they are designed to adequately meet the needs of the industry. This current study evaluates the convention course offerings at the top 25 ranked hospitality and tourism undergraduate schools (Brizek & Khan, 2002). Course objectives, assessment and teaching methods, topics of instruction, and textbooks were analyzed using nonparametric statistics and CATPAC software to determine the similarities and differences among the various course offerings. Results revealed statistically significant differences among courses characterized as General MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, Events) Industry, Convention and Meeting Planning, and Event Management. Limitations and suggestions for fu...

This case examines some of the major legal considerations restaurants and establishments serving alcoholic beverages must address in their daily operations. Dram shop legislation is a set of laws governing the sale and distribution of alcohol, the liability of restaurants or beverage operations, as well as any individuals involved in intoxicated behavior. Dram shop legislation is often met with great misunderstanding regarding who is responsible for damages incurred as the result of a drinking incident, why a beverage operation may be considered negligent, and the party(ies) that may pursue litigation. Presently there are few academic articles or cases which address the legal issues related to dram shop regulations, thus this case was designed to fill this gap in the literature.

PURPOSE Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) remains largely incurable and often requires multiple lines of treatment after becoming refractory to standard therapies. Duvelisib was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for relapsed or refractory (RR) chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and RR follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more prior systemic therapies. On the basis of the activity of duvelisib, a first-in-class oral dual inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-δ,-γ, in RR iNHL in a phase I study, the safety and efficacy of duvelisib monotherapy was evaluated in iNHL refractory to rituximab and either chemotherapy or radioimmunotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients had measurable iNHL (FL, SLL, or marginal zone B-cell lymphoma) double refractory to rituximab (monotherapy or in combination) and to either chemotherapy or radioimmunotherapy. All were treated with duvelisib 25 mg orally twice daily in 28-day cycles until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or death. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR) using the revised International Working Group criteria for malignant lymphoma. RESULTS This open-label, global phase II trial enrolled 129 patients (median age, 65 years; median of three prior lines of therapy) with an ORR of 47.3% (SLL, 67.9%; FL, 42.2%; MZL, 38.9%). The estimated median duration of response was 10 months, and the estimated median progression-free survival was 9.5 months. The most frequent any-grade treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were diarrhea (48.8%), nausea (29.5%), neutropenia (28.7%), fatigue (27.9%), and cough (27.1%). Among the 88.4% of patients with at least one grade 3 or greater TEAE, the most common TEAEs were neutropenia (24.8%), diarrhea (14.7%), anemia (14.7%), and thrombocytopenia (11.6%). CONCLUSION In the DYNAMO study, oral duvelisib monotherapy demonstrated clinically meaningful activity and a manageable safety profile in heavily pretreated, double-refractory iNHL, consistent with previous observations. Duvelisib may provide a new oral treatment option for this patient population of which many are elderly and in need of additional therapies.

Duvelisib (also known as IPI-145) is an oral, dual inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase δ and γ (PI3K-δ,γ) being developed for treatment of hematologic malignancies. PI3K-δ,γ signaling can promote B-cell proliferation and survival in clonal B-cell malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). In a phase 1 study, duvelisib showed clinically meaningful activity and acceptable safety in CLL/SLL patients. We report here the results of DUO, a global phase 3 randomized study of duvelisib vs ofatumumab monotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory (RR) CLL/SLL. Patients were randomized 1:1 to oral duvelisib 25 mg twice daily (n = 160) or ofatumumab IV (n = 159). The study met the primary study end point by significantly improving progression-free survival per independent review committee assessment compared with ofatumumab for all patients (median, 13.3 months vs 9.9 months; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.52; P < .0001), including those with high-risk chromosome 17p13.1 deletions [del(17p)] and/or TP53 mutations (HR = 0.40; P = .0002). The overall response rate was significantly higher with duvelisib (74% vs 45%; P < .0001) regardless of del(17p) status. The most common adverse events were diarrhea, neutropenia, pyrexia, nausea, anemia, and cough on the duvelisib arm, and neutropenia and infusion reactions on the ofatumumab arm. The DUO trial data support duvelisib as a potentially effective treatment option for patients with RR CLL/SLL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02004522.