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PurposeThis study aims at investigating the differential impact of different CSR communication strategies on consumers' brand trust and consequent attitudes and behaviors in the credence goods market.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental laboratory study was conducted to collect data from graduate students (n = 414) from two Chinese universities. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe results show that a dialogical communication strategy, compared to a monological communication strategy, is significantly more effective in increasing consumers' brand trust for credence goods as well as their willingness-to-buy and positive word-of-mouth. The results also confirm the mediating effect of CSR knowledge and the moderating effect of broad-scope trust on the relationship between CSR communication strategies and brand trust.Practical implicationsThis study implies that in order to promote consumer trust and supportive behaviors toward brands, managers of companies in credence goods market should consider the increased use of various dialogical CSR communication strategies.Originality/valueThe study is one of the first to verify the impact of dialogical vs monological CSR communication strategies on consumers of credence goods.

Purpose Because of the increasingly higher expectations of accrediting organizations, calls for greater accountability from state governments, and students’ demand for an education that prepares them for a career, most hospitality programs are now required to have an effective assessment of learning outcomes process. The increasing popularity of the assessment of learning outcomes process is viewed as highly positive because it can be considered as best practices in higher education. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This is Part 1 of a two-part article that provides an overview of the justifications for implementing an assessment of learning outcomes process, the steps that were developed by two hospitality programs and the experiences of the two programs during implementation of the seven steps. Part 1 includes foundational principles of the process and the first three of the seven steps. Findings The steps in a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process are relatively detailed; however, because of changes in expectations of stakeholders and the requirements of accreditors, they are now mandatory for most hospitality programs. Therefore, the choice is not whether to implement them, but when to implement them. From a competitive standpoint, it is to the program’s advantage to begin as soon as possible. Another factor to consider is that the implementation of an effective closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process will take several years to complete. Originality/value This paper is presenting a critical view of one of, if not the most important concepts in higher education, the closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process. Hopefully, the information on the process that is provided and the experiences of the two programs can shorten the learning curve for other hospitality programs.

Purpose Because of the increasingly higher expectations of accrediting organizations, calls for greater accountability from state governments and students’ demand for an education that prepares them for a career, most hospitality programs are now required to have an effective assessment of learning outcomes process. The increasing popularity of the assessment of learning outcomes process is viewed as highly positive because it can be considered as best-practices in higher education. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This is Part 2 of a two-part article that provides an overview of the justifications for implementing an assessment of learning outcomes process, the steps that were developed by two hospitality programs, and the experiences of the two programs during implementation. Findings The steps in a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process are relatively detailed; however, because of changes in expectations of stakeholders and the requirements of accreditors, they are now mandatory for most hospitality programs. Therefore, the choice is not whether to implement them, but when. From a competitive standpoint, it is to the program’s advantage to begin as soon as possible. Another factor to consider is that the implementation of a closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process will take several years to complete. Originality/value This paper is presenting a critical view of one of, if not the most important concepts in higher education, the closed-loop assessment of learning outcomes process. Hopefully, the information on the process that is provided and the experiences of the two programs can shorten the learning curve for other hospitality programs.

Learning outcomes form the core of what hospitality programs and educators offer students and therefore should be the primary focus of a quality hospitality education. While all major university accrediting bodies require the assessment of learning outcomes and their use in improving educational quality, the transition for hospitality programs is taking too long and is not as transparent as it should be. This article reviews the most significant challenges to implementing an effective assessment of learning outcomes process and offers solutions that can help hospitality programs and faculty fulfill their responsibilities to students by offering them the best education possible.

The concept of competing for the customer, like many concepts, appears deceptively simple. A problem with some restaurants' analyses of customers and competitors is that they are often viewed as isolated events, decreasing the effectiveness with which information is incorporated in the firm's research, planning, and implementation efforts. The concept of relative perceived product quality not only synthesizes the customer and competitor analyses, but it provides management with a means of ingraining the new relevant information into the marketing planning process. As important as this concept is, it has received virtually no coverage in general business and hospitality research.

An exploratory study was conducted to examine the impact of product quality and service quality on attitude- and behavior-based brand loyalty for quick-service restaurants. A total of 175 respondents were surveyed. The results showed that quick-service restaurants need to be more concerned with product quality especially in taste, freshness, and temperature, and focus on their overall service quality to build brand loyalty. Moreover, the results from correlation tests show that brand loyalty for one brand may affect brand loyalty towards another brand. The restaurants considered were McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.

In his book, The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, Henry Mintzberg proposed that planning and implementation must not be two separate functions, but a continuous managerial decision-making process. One that is based first, on an astute analysis of volatile environmental market conditions, and second, on management's ability to effectively transform its offering to satisfy this moving target. This article questions the use of the concept and term strategic management in restaurants to describe what may be best termed strategic market management. Additionally, a framework within which modern restaurant planning takes place is presented.

As the environment has become more dynamic, management has been forced to compete at consistently higher levels. One area where management and researchers have apparently not maximized their intellectual capital is on the topic of positioning. Positioning is determining how the firm wants to be viewed relative to major competitors. The primary focus of existing efforts on positioning has been the use of positioning/perceptual maps to determine a firm’s multiattribute/multidimensional position. Although these maps do provide quality data, they ignore the fact that consumers also holistically rank competing firms on a linear or hierarchical continuum. The objectives of this article include proposing a typology and a methodology for measuring a firm’s linear market position. In addition, the author desires to begin a dialogue that would lead to a valid, reliable, and commonly used means of measuring a firm’s position.

All managers are compensated for their ability to make decisions. Operational managers focus on tactical decisions targeted at satisfying today's customers. Administrative managers will generally focus on strategic decisions targeted at tomorrow's customers. The effectiveness of each of these endeavors requires rational guidelines that detail where the manager's efforts should be directed. While policies are the primary guidelines followed by operational managers, administrative managers focus their efforts on mission statements. In addition to supplying managers with a general strategic direction and goals for the firm, the mission statement also establishes the foundation for how the firm's stakeholders are to be treated. Over the past several decades there has been a tremendous effort by researchers to synthesize the knowledge of strategic decision-making. What has been neglected in this task is the importance of creating and utilizing a mission statement. This article reviews the theoretical basis, purpose, and development of mission statements. Examples of excerpts from mission statements, along with one of the industry's finest mission statements, are provided.

Hierarchical clustering methods are presented using a simplified example. The article describes and explains six steps in the cluster analysis process: variable selection, data management, selection of clustering methods, deriving cluster solutions, validating results, and interpreting results. The article concludes by giving the reader an example of how each of the steps was processed in the identification and description of three market segments based on entertainment preferences. The purpose of the article is to encourage increased usage of this valuable means of revealing market niches by researchers in the field of hospitality.

Making effective strategic decisions is not a simple task. Though no heuristic can remove potential planning hazards or absolve management of the responsibility for guiding the firm, good information can improve the results. The strategic analysis questioning sequence provides management with an organized, systematic process with which to: locate key situational factors; determine their importance; develop optional strategies; and finally to assess the viability of potential strategies. As the process is ingrained in the firm's planning process and each manager's mental (cognitive) model, better decisions should follow.

The purpose of this article is to show how strategic planning can assist in the implementation of nutritionally sound strategies and policies, based on facts and organized thinking rather than on a decision-maker's presumption. A nutritionally related strategic plan for a foodservice facility will be presented to demonstrate the required decisions and process. Additionally, the majority of the information needed for the plan's situational analysis can be integrated into an on-going management information system, shortening and simplfying the process for future plans, and hastening the recognition of potential opportunities and threats.

(1995). Building a Foundation for Better Learning through Integrative Instructional Modeling. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 13-66.

(1994). How to Teach So Students Will Learn: Part One. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 47-51.

Hospitality management as an academic pursuit is currently in a growth cycle. The vast majority of theories for any rapidly evolving field, by necessity, will be based on the application of existing bodies of knowledge. For example, sociology was based primarily on theories borrowed from psychology. The quickest and certainly the most efficient means of expanding the body of hospitality knowledge is to apply relevant theories and principles from related fields. This paper researches how application of the economic principles of short- and long-term decisions, and the three stages of production, can benefit hospitality managers. Reinventing the wheel works no better in academics than in business. Since the discipline is new and in search of full academic recognition, we must move quickly by assembling a theoretically complete body of knowledge that is responsive to real-world needs.

The heart of any organization is its value system. Here is how management can uncover its true identity and pump life into the company culture.