Human Trafficking Awareness and Training in the Lodging Industry

Human trafficking is a recognized global problem and many trafficked victims are presented as guests throughout all tiers of the lodging industry. Some lodging companies have taken the initiative to provide awareness training and protocols for reporting, but it is difficult to discern if these training methods are effective. This study examines the current training methods presented by lodging companies and the public records of their respective regions to determine if the current human trafficking training methods are having an effect on human trafficking awareness and reporting. 

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PD: Catherine Curtis

 

Hospitality House Network National Impact Study

Hospitality houses are places where family members of a hospitalized individual may seek shelter, food, and clothing. Most of these hospitality houses are affiliated with hospitals and medical centers. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Hospitality House programs by measuring the effectiveness of the hospitality programs and activities, identifying effective program policies, and to understand the program purpose from the client’s perspective.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Catherine Curtis, Denna Wheeler

 

Food Choices and health outcomes amongst foodservice employees: Impact of work environment

Food choices impact health outcomes, and negatively in the absence of inefficient self-monitoring behavior. Social and environmental factors can further augment inefficiency in individuals’ ability self-monitoring food choices. Work place routines can be disruptive and have been associated with negative health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate how workplace routines can negatively impact self-monitoring of food choices, and thereby be associated with adverse health outcomes. The research question for this study is as follows: How do work place routines impact self-monitoring of food choices and the incidence of non-communicable or chronic diseases.

Sponsors: Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania State University

PI/PDs: Catherine Curtis

Pennsylvania State University: Amit Sharma

 

Professional Development Needs of Oklahoma State University Graduate Faculty

The need for graduate faculty professional development is well documented. This study will provide a baseline of the professional development needs of graduate faculty at OSU.  A review of comparable institutions indicated that professional development of faculty focuses more on undergraduate teaching, not a comprehensive program for all aspects of being a graduate faculty member, such as student advising, policy and procedures, and professionalism.  This study will contribute to efforts by the Graduate College and individual units to provide the needed professional development resources to graduate faculty.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Mary Jo Self, Ki Cole, Rebecca Sheehan, David Wallace, Ranjith Ramanathan, Pouya Jahanshahi, Birne Binegar, Catherine Curtis, Ning Wang

Unravelling Food Memories

This study is about food memories and the ways local households embody the process of food preparation.  Using narrative inquiry, this working paper presents vignettes of how food memories are preserved through time.  Through the embodied act of cooking with participants, kitchen conversations, and artifact collections, this study voices the stories and memories passed down by generations of familial cooking traditions, informing the contents and preparation of Oklahoman meals.  Findings provide a source of ideas with a focus on the embodiment of cooking while shedding light to many areas of hospitality and tourism through food.

Sponsor:  Oklahoma State University

PI/PD:  Li Miao

 

Vicarious Authenticity in Tourism

This study proposes a new type of authenticity called Vicarious Authenticity achieved by participating in someone else’s authentic lived experience, using experientialism as a philosophical base. This study will also develop a measurement scale for this new concept by taking both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The item pool will be derived from multiple sources: previous research, online blog postings, and focus group interviews. The items will be purified via an expert panel and pilot study. The refined measurement scale then will be validated through two waves of data collection through online research platforms and data analyses.

Sponsor:  Oklahoma State University

PI/PD:  Li Miao

 

The Impact of Psychological Distance on Decision Making in the Hotel and Airbnb Contexts This working paper proposes that multiple sources of psychological distance (temporal, spatial, and social distances) have interactive effects on consumers’ perceptions and behaviors.  Study 1;  (hotel context) proposes that when temporally far from arrival, hotel bookers who have the ‘pay later’ option feel less burdened by payments and have higher booking intention.  Study 2; (Airbnb context) proposes that when temporally and spatially far from arrival, room bookers who have short social distance are more likely to trust the host and have higher booking intention.  This study offers suggestions on how to drive bookings more effectively depending on consumers' psychological distance.

Sponsor:  Oklahoma State University

PI/PD:  Li Miao

 

Applying psycho-physiological methods to comparison of Virtual Reality visualizations to traditional visualizations in hotel settings.

VR visualizations of a hotel room will be compared to 2-D hotel room images in terms of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral responses utilizing psycho-physiological measurement methods in addition to traditional survey methods.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Lisa Slevitch, Tilanka Chandrasekera, Luis Meja, Kate Korneva

 

Empirical comparison of Kano categorization methods.

Several Kano categorization methods will be compared in terms of categorization accuracy using computer data generated data.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Lisa Slevitch, Mindy McCann, Josephine Acosa

 

Optimizing Frontline Shift Composition for Increased Customer Satisfaction and Firm Performance.

The effects of shift composition on customer satisfaction and firm performance will be examined in OSU dining services using qualitative approach.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Tom Arnold, Lisa Slevitch

 

Comparison of Virtual Reality visualizations to traditional visualizations in hotel settings

The objective of the study was to investigate how Virtual Reality (VR) visualizations compare to traditional visualizations such as 2-D photos in terms of; 1) affective responses, 2) attitudinal/behavioral responses, and 3) cognitive load as a promotional tool for hotels. A quasi-experimental study was conducted over two time periods with independent samples. A boutique hotel lobby and a guest room were captured in 2-D and VR formats. Overall findings suggest that the use of VR as a promotional tool for hotels might not be more effective than traditional photos.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Lisa Slevitch, Tilanka Chandrasekera

 

Assessment of Kano Categorization Methods

The aim of the study was to; 1) critically review the existing Kano categorization methods and 2) conduct a comprehensive empirical comparison. The accuracy of the methods was tested using a generated dataset simulating the relationships between attribute performance and customer satisfaction as proposed in the original Kano Model. Additionally, bootstrapping technique was used to compare the generated dataset with a real data set.

The findings will assist with choosing the most appropriate method and also help with application in a technically fitting manner.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Lisa Slevitch, Mindy McCann, Josie Agosa, Aisya Larasati

 

Building Tourism and Marketing Strategies for Oklahoma Wines

The goal of this project is to increase agritourism as it relates to the viticulture and enology industries and advance the marketing of Oklahoma produced grapes and wine.  Specifically, this project conducted market research to identify visitor profiles, examine visitor perceptions, conduct market-based competitive analyses and conduct a needs assessment of winery and vineyard owners and industry stakeholders as it relates to continued development and marketing.  This information will be used to develop critical and executable marketing strategies to increase awareness and visitation to Oklahoma wineries.

Sponsor:  Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF)

PI/PD:  Stacy Tomas

 

Hospitality Training for Wineries

Increased visitation and sales at Oklahoma wineries can be the result of positive staff interactions through great customer service and wine knowledge.  The purpose of this project is to develop a research-based hospitality training program specific to Oklahoma wineries to help staff more fully engage with visitors and to increase tourism in many rural communities across the state.  The curriculum will be developed by Oklahoma State University in consultation with an advisory committee comprised of Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Oklahoma Grape Industry Council and Oklahoma winery owners.  The curriculum will be delivered state-wide through regional trainings.  

Sponsor:  Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF)

PI/PD:  Stacy Tomas

 

National Agritourism and Direct Sales Research

From a national perspective the understanding of agritourism, as both a tourism product and as a strategy for income diversification is limited.  While regional research exists across the country, a holistic and comprehensive understanding of this industry segment does not.  This multi-state research study is led and orchestrated by the University of Vermont.  The Oklahoma portion of this study is being managed by OSU.  Results of this project will provide comprehensive data on the industry not only in Oklahoma, but across the country, and will also be used to develop tools and resources to increase the success of agritourism enterprises.

Sponsors:  Oklahoma State University, University of Vermont, Oregon State University

PIs/PDs:  Stacy Tomas

University of Vermont:  Lisa Chase

Oregon State University:  Mary Stewart

 

How does a menu's information about local food affect restaurant selection? The roles of corporate social responsibility, transparency, and trust

This study's goal was to investigate the effect of customers' perceptions of a restaurant menu that contains local food information on their restaurant selections and its underlying mechanism. The results indicated that perceptions of menu information affect customers' perceptions of the restaurant's transparency and corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions positively and also affect customers' trust in the restaurant positively, but indirectly, through perceived CSR actions. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the influence that adding information about local foods to restaurant menus has on customers' trust and consequently, their restaurant selection intentions.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Willie Tao, Kiyan Shafieizadeh

 

How do authenticity and quality perceptions affect dining experiences and recommendations of food trucks? The moderating role of perceived risk

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of customers’ authenticity and quality perceptions of ethnic food trucks on their memorable dining experience (MDE) and, consequently, word of mouth (WOM) while considering customers’ perceived risk. The results indicated that authenticity perceptions influence quality perceptions and dining satisfaction directly, and MDE indirectly through dining satisfaction. Moreover, dining satisfaction affects WOM directly as well as indirectly through MDE. Among the three dimensions of perceived risk, hygienic risk mitigates both of the relationships between authenticity perceptions and dining satisfaction as well as between quality perceptions and dining satisfaction.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Willie Tao, Kiyan Shafieizadeh, Salman Alotaibi

 

What constitutes a helpful online review? Exploring child-friendly restaurants through structural topic modeling

This study aims to identify the constituents of a helpful online review for child-friendly restaurants that align with customers' expectations with and without children through structural topic modeling. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated that reviewers’ profile, readability, and certain topics embedded in the textual reviews, and the negativity of ratings significantly influenced the perceived helpfulness of an online review. Moreover, the discussion of atmosphere and waiting time disclosed in a review attributes to the perceived helpfulness. The study provides practical implications for the foodservice industry while rendering intriguing theoretical insights into the complex information processing of online reviews.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Willie Tao, Yi (Estella) Zhang, Li Miao

 

Instagram—Home to the secretless pastry chef: A systems model of culinary creativity and knowledge sharing

Culinary knowledge resembles highly valued and safeguarded intellectual property among culinary practitioners.  Using an integrated theoretical framework informed by Csikszentmihalyi’s systems model of creativity and Borkenhagen’s praxis of open source cooking, this study investigates the extent of this sharing phenomenon on Instagram.  A qualitatively-driven mixed-method approach was employed, and 2,456 Instagram posts were analyzed alongside interviews with elite pastry chefs.  Our findings converge to form a new theoretical model that accounts for the multifaceted considerations of culinary creativity and knowledge sharing, which delineates how elite pastry chefs share knowledge and express creativity mindfully, ethically, and altruistically on social media.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Willie Tao, Kai-Sean Lee

 

How to communicate corporate social responsibility-related messages on Twitter? Lessons learned from the top green restaurants

It is unclear which types of CSR activities or communication strategies are more effective in terms of influence on consumers’ attitudinal responses, especially for restaurants. To address this gap, this study collected 136 CSR-related posts and 3,408 stakeholders’ replies from four top green restaurants’ Twitter accounts. It was found that CSR activities related to local community and society were as important as the activities related to environment. Further, the engagement CSR communication strategy had a stronger influence on customers’ attitudinal responses, generating more positive sentiments than broadcasting or reactive strategies on Twitter.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State University

PI/PDs: Willie Tao, Kyong Sik Sung, Lisa Slevitch